Abetone is a comune

Comune

In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...

(municipality) in the Province of Pistoia

Province of Pistoia

The Province of Pistoia is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Pistoia. It has an area of 965 km², and a total population of 268,503 . There are 22 communes in the province .-External links:...

 in the Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 region Tuscany

Tuscany

Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....

, located about 80 km northwest of Florence

Florence

Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....

 and about 49 km northwest of Pistoia

Pistoia

Pistoia is a city and comune in the Tuscany region of Italy, the capital of a province of the same name, located about 30 km west and north of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno.-History:...

. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 699 and an area of 31.2 km².

Abetone borders the following municipalities: Bagni di Lucca

Bagni di Lucca

Bagni di Lucca is a comune of Tuscany, Italy, in the Province of Lucca with a population of c. 6,500.-History:Bagni di Lucca was known for its thermal springs since the Etruscan and Roman Ages....

, Coreglia Antelminelli

Coreglia Antelminelli

Coreglia Antelminelli is a comune in the Province of Lucca in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 70 km northwest of Florence and about 25 km north of Lucca....

, Cutigliano

Cutigliano

Cutigliano is a comune in the province of Pistoia in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 50 km northwest of Florence and about 25 km northwest of Pistoia....

, Fiumalbo

Fiumalbo

Fiumalbo is a comune in the Province of Modena in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 70 km southwest of Bologna and about 60 km southwest of Modena...

.

History

Abetone (in Italian: "large fir") was created as a custom post on the main road from the Grand Duchy of Tuscany

Grand Duchy of Tuscany

The Grand Duchy of Tuscany was a central Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Duchy of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence...

 and the Duchy of Modena, built from 1732. The name derives from that of a large tree cut down to allow the construction proceed.

Starting from the early 20th century it became a renowned skiing resort. Zeno Colò

Zeno Colo

Zeno Colò was a champion alpine ski racer from Italy, born in Abetone, Tuscany. He was among the top ski racers of the late 1940s and early 1950s....

, one of the greatest Italian skiers, was born here in 1920.