The town of Podenzana rises on a hill in the province of Massa Carrara and is at 312 m. of altitude. It is divided into two different territories, one of which lies in the Val di Magra and the other lies in the Val di Vara. Therefore, the town is a group of small towns with a total population of 1,800 inhabitants.

In the area of Podenzana the sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the parish of Sant'Andrea can be visited in the area of the town of Podenzana. The sanctuary is in the Gaggio, a place with a Lombard toponym.
In the Middle Ages, it was a destination of many pilgrimages that obliged the bishop of Luni to put into a shrine the chestnut tree where the Virgin Mary appeared, according to tradition. The parish is a X-century Romanesque architecture that probably rose on a pre-existing building.
Despite the ancient origin of some buildings, the town of "Potentiana" developed at the half of the XVI century. Before, the castle and its small adjacent village had been the object of a dispute between the bishopric of Luni and the Malaspina who had governed it until 1536. In this year, Podenzana became an independent feud because the numerous incursions of the Genoese (in 1416 and in 1449) led this powerful family from Luni to abandon the territory.
In the XVIII century, the Marquis of Podenzana got control of the feud and of those of Aulla and Montedivalli. Aulla became autonomous while Montedivalli continued to be dependent upon to the town even after the Napoleonic occupation that freed them from their feudal ties.
In the Second World War, the town was also at the centre of particular war operations. After the armistice of 8 September 1943, the Nazis chose Saletto di Podenzana as a base of antiaircraft battery. Therefore, the town went through severe damage caused by bombardments and by its allies. Yet, the partisan nucleus that freed the town of Aulla was born right in this town.