Castiglione di Garfagnana
Encyclopedia
Castiglione di Garfagnana is a medieval walled town and 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:...

of 1,878 inhabitants in the province of Lucca
Province of Lucca
The Province of Lucca is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Lucca.It has an area of 1,773 km², and a total population of 372,244...

.
It sits on a hillside above the river Esarulo, a tributary of the Serchio
Serchio
At 126 kilometres the Serchio is the third longest river in the Italian region of Tuscany, coming after the Arno and the Ombrone...

.

The town is renowned for the band Filarmonica Alpina
Filarmonica Alpina
The Filarmonica Alpina of Castiglione di Garfagnana, Italy is a music company associated with the Garfagnana region.-History:The company was founded in 1858 as the "Fanfara Popolare" by a group of musicians with the purpose of playing music at special events. Such events as religious processions,...

, founded in 1858 with the name of Fanfara popolare.

History

The origin of the town dates back to a Roman castra, called Castrum Leonis, ("Lion's Castle"), built to command the valley that leads to the San Pellegrino Pass, the easiest access for armies over the Apennines
Apennine mountains
The Apennines or Apennine Mountains or Greek oros but just as often used alone as a noun. The ancient Greeks and Romans typically but not always used "mountain" in the singular to mean one or a range; thus, "the Apennine mountain" refers to the entire chain and is translated "the Apennine...

. The fortress later developed under the Lombard
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...

 and Frank
Frankish Empire
Francia or Frankia, later also called the Frankish Empire , Frankish Kingdom , Frankish Realm or occasionally Frankland, was the territory inhabited and ruled by the Franks from the 3rd to the 10th century...

 dominations.

In 1170 it was besieged by the Republic of Lucca
Lucca
Lucca is a city and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, situated on the river Serchio in a fertile plainnear the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Lucca...

. Castiglione surrendered, but the high taxes led the city to form a league with others communes of Garfagnana
Garfagnana
Garfagnana is an historical region of Italy, today part of the province of Lucca in the Apennines, in northwest Tuscany, but before the unification of Italy it belonged to the Duchy of Modena and Reggio, ruled by the Este family. For a short time, in the 16th century, it was governed by the poet...

 against Lucca.

In 1227 Castiglione was again besieged and suffered further destruction by Lucchese soldiers. Political conflicts continued in the following years, until a peace was stipulated in 1371: Lucca gained definitive control of Castiglione, and established a permanent administrator. The defensive structure was upgraded with the widening of the town walls.

During the 15th century Castiglione was one of the few communities in Garfagnana
Garfagnana
Garfagnana is an historical region of Italy, today part of the province of Lucca in the Apennines, in northwest Tuscany, but before the unification of Italy it belonged to the Duchy of Modena and Reggio, ruled by the Este family. For a short time, in the 16th century, it was governed by the poet...

 that did not submit to the Este family, remaining loyal to the Republic of Lucca. Throughout the wars against Estensi, the fortress was again besieged, in particular in 1603 and 1613. There then followed a long period of peace, marred only by controversies for boundary questions with the neighbouring communes.

The Congress of Vienna
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...

 (1815) assigned Castiglione to Marie Louise of Bourbon
Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma
Marie Louise of Austria was the second wife of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French and later Duchess of Parma...

, Grand Duchess of Lucca, who in 1819 gave it to Francis IV of Modena.

Main sights

Castiglione's most striking attraction is the Medieval bridge built by Spinetta Malaspina in the 13th century. The city is also famous for its well-preserved 13th-century medieval walls with large towers (the Torrioni) and the castle (Rocca).

The church of San Pietro was erected in 723 by two Lombard brothers, Aurinand and Gudifrid, but was largely rebuilt in the 12th century by Bishop Guido III of Lucca. San Michele (14th century) is the other main holy edifice of the town. Both churches use wall towers as their belfries.

The Church of San Pellegrino (in the homonymous frazione), site at 1,400 m and commanding the valley of the Serchio
Serchio
At 126 kilometres the Serchio is the third longest river in the Italian region of Tuscany, coming after the Arno and the Ombrone...

river, houses the mortal remains of St. Pellegrino and St. Bianco.

The town has a panoramic vista over the valley below.

External links

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