Sarzana stands between the Apuan Alps and the sea, in the heart of Lunigiana. Sarzana is the lineal descendant of Luni, the ancient Roman town it replaced in the 13 th century thanks to its growing religious importance.
Since its foundation in the first millennium, thanks to its position, Sarzana has been a crossroads among Liguria, Toscana and Emilia-Romagna.

Since antiquity Sarzana has been a strategic point and an important centre for agriculture and trade. Moreover, since the Middle Ages it has become an important religious and juridical centre thanks to the presence of a tribunal and of the bishop's see. In the course of history Sarzana was ruled by various lords and cities: Castruccio Castracani, Spinetta Malaspina, the Pisans, the Visconti, the Genoese and the Florentines.

The town has two castles: the Firmafede fortress, of Pisan origin and the Sarzanello fortress, an ancient bishop's see. The 16 th century walled town, with its walls and four keeps, is still intact.