© Edimedia di F. Filippi e C. Sas.

An important feudal seat of the Malaspina, Villafranca owes its name to the physical and judicial immunity it enjoyed in the Middle Ages. In the 12th century the castle, known as "Malnido", whose ruins can be found near the town, was responsible for keeping watch over the Via Francigena.
Despite the serious damage it suffered during the Second World War, Villanfranca preserves examples of mediaeval and Renaissance architecture, among which the church of San Francesco stands out, 16th century in appearance but of more ancient origins; inside, polychrome Della Robbia terracottas (of a remarkable standard, in particular, the Madonna of the angels). The old mill buildings have been altered to house the Lunigiana Ethnographic Museum, which illustrates aspects of local traditions and popular religiousness.