Town in the province of La Spezia, situated where the river flows into the Magra Vara, Santo Stefano di Magra is part of the Natural Park of Monte Marcello Magra. Located in a strategic point between Tuscany, Emilia Romagna and Liguria, it is divided into two parts by the central road and is surrounded by thick walls built during the Renaissance ages. At the foot of the hill on the left bank of the river Magra, an irrigation canal, built in the late XIX century and the XX century to bring water to the land of the Magra valley offers a landscape element with a significant functionality. Along the route it features valuable bridges and numerous structures. Ponzano Magra, Ponzano Belaso and Ponzano Superiore or Al Monte are the districts that form the territory of Santo Stefano di Magra. Founded around the year 1000, the village was built around the rural Parish Church of St. Stephen, that placed in a strategic place, gave way to a vibrant economy and important commercial features. The town was subject of dispute between the Bishops of Luni and the Malaspina Family. The particular location along the via Francigena made of the centre a compulsory stop for pilgrims and travelers. The town belonged to the Republic of Genoa from 1859 to 1923, till it passed to the province of La Spezia.

Not to miss:
Church of San Michele Arcangelo.
Oratory di San Leonardo.
Shrine of Our Lady of Grace. Built in 1647 and entitled to the Virgin Mary after her apparition to a boy of Ponzano Superiore. A first extension to the church was made in 1654, a second in 1670.
Church of Santo Stefano. It was built in 1700 on the ruins of an ancient pre-existing church. Since the XII century, it was the main Parish church of Ponzano, Caprigliola and Albiano.
The Remedi Family Palace in Ponzano Superior. Located in the heart of the historic center, is a valuable private building.
Villa Pratola. Private building in Baroque style site near the road Cisa in Ponzano Magra.