Cascio Fortress (Rocca di Cascio)

The village of Cascio, a hamlet of the municipality of Molazzana on the right bank of the Serchio River, rises on an elevation north of Castelnuovo in Garfagnana at an altitude of about 444 metres above sea level and is surrounded by a wall built by the Este government in Garfagnana in the early 17th century to protect the town during the war that pitted the Duchy of Modena and Reggio against the Lucchese. The perimeter of the enclosure, originally about 435 m.a.s.l (725 fathoms) in length, is made of local stone and equipped with a scarp. The circuit is built with curtain walls with a patrol walkway including semi-circular towers and access gates carved into square towers. The layout is still largely intact and in good condition, so much so that it can be considered one of the best examples of an Este-style fortified village in the entire Garfagnana area.