Napoleon reached Italy in 1796 and arrived in the Duchy of Modena and Reggio in summer, raising the enthusiasm of the people who invoked the release from the foreign rule. From the temporary government, Napoleon led the delegates of Bologna, Ferrara, Modena, and Reggio to join in the Cispadane Republic under the same flag, the first tricolor flag which appeared for the first time during the Congress held in 1797 in Reggio. After the birth of the Cisalpine Republic and after the union of the two Republics, Napoleon, Emperor of France, was crowned King of the Kingdom of Italy in Milan in 1804, with the disappointment of those who had believed in the freedom of the French Revolution.
Fortino Sparavalle, in Cervarezza Terme, probably dates back to this period. The archival, cartographic, and bibliographic documents do not mention the existence of the fortified structure but, according to its architectural features, it could date back to the 9th-10th century. Only at the end of the 18th century, after the building of Lunigiana road by the Este family, the small fortress acquired a certain importance, to the extent that it was rebuilt, partly or totally, at the times of Napoleon's rule.
Another evidence is given by the presence throughout the territory of Napoleonic boundary stones, like the one at Ospedalaccio Pass, marking the border with the Cisalpine Republic in 1812.
Further info: it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storia_di_Reggio_Emilia
