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VIECAVE HISTORY'S

VIECAVE (750m high) is located in the centre of Frignano, the ancient land of the Liguri Frignanti, a tribe subdued by the Romans in 187 b.C. Viecave is fully immersed in the historical problematic of the land and in the ancient road system of the Central Frignano. The antique “Mutina – Pistoria” road was probably traced on a Ligurian itinerary. The road went from S.Dalmazio to Monteobizzo (the place identified as the ancient “Castrum Feronianum” by the historian Sorbelli) passing by Viecave. The toponym “Viae cava” or “Viarum cavarum” is extremely meaningful and could come from “Viae capite” (principal road or roads). Probably other main roads started from Viecave and went directly to the downstream of river Panaro, passing by Iddiano, a town from where there is a great panoramic view of the eastern part of Viecave. To understand completely Viecave we must understand the ancient territorial setting (Romanic-Byzantin). Located in the centre of this important road junction, Viecave was probably a very important fortified station, a main peripheral of “Castrum Feronianum”. The complex, grown through the centuries to become nearly a court, is formed by a tower surrounded by the remains of the medieval castle, a block of buildings with a tower-house at the eastern part and on the opposite, divided from the building, an agricultural structure. The tower, one of the most ancient ones of the Frignano, is characterised by Romanic style elements that can be admired especially in the portal on the eastern side. The remains of the castle, mentioned as part of the Montegarullo feuds in a alliance treaty with Bernabò Visconti in 1370, are located south of the tower. At the end of the feudal period, Viecave remained the centre where the people of the area reunited. We are sure that after the half of the XV century Viacave was an independent town. In 1447 the towns of Benedello, Chiagnano, Viecave, Iddiano and Monteobizzo decided to united forming a community named “Montis et Unitorum”. It’s exactly in this period that the most ancient part of the building blocks and the tower-house were built. Viacave continued to grow from the XV to the XVIII century. This is proved by the 5 different portals built in green-sand: 2 portals with concave shelves are typical of the XV century, while 2 of the 3 remaining were dated 1565 and 1682. The complex is admirably developed on various levels where the up and down of the stairs is delighted by folksy fireplaces. Some of the windows, equipped with valuable stone seats, seem to have been built so that the visitors could rest admiring the fireplace inside and the incredible views outside.
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