San Marcello Pistoiese
Encyclopedia
San Marcello Pistoiese is a comune
(municipality) in the Province of Pistoia
in the Italian
region Tuscany
, located about 45 km northwest of Florence
and about 15 km northwest of Pistoia
.
(3rd-2nd centuries BC), the area was likely inhabited by some Italic tribe, such as the Ligures
. The Roman senator Catilina died in 62 BC in a battle not far from here.
During the Middle Ages, San Marcello was an independent commune
(13th century), until it fell to Pistoia in the late 14th century. The frazione
of Gavinana was the location of the eponymous battle
in 1530.
The original settlement started to grow substantially after the construction of the road connecting Pistoia to Modena
, which passed through it (1781). In 1864 it was connected by the Ferrovia Porrettana, from Pistoia to Bologna
, later expanded with an electric tramway line (Ferrovia Alto Pistoiese), from Pracchia to San Marcello.
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 45 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 15 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:...
.
History
Before the Roman conquestAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
(3rd-2nd centuries BC), the area was likely inhabited by some Italic tribe, such as the Ligures
Ligures
The Ligures were an ancient people who gave their name to Liguria, a region of north-western Italy.-Classical sources:...
. The Roman senator Catilina died in 62 BC in a battle not far from here.
During the Middle Ages, San Marcello was an independent commune
Medieval commune
Medieval communes in the European Middle Ages had sworn allegiances of mutual defense among the citizens of a town or city. They took many forms, and varied widely in organization and makeup. Communes are first recorded in the late 11th and early 12th centuries, thereafter becoming a widespread...
(13th century), until it fell to Pistoia in the late 14th century. The frazione
Frazione
A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...
of Gavinana was the location of the eponymous battle
Battle of Gavinana
The Battle of Gavinana was a battle in the War of the League of Cognac. It was fought on 3 August 1530 between the city of Florence and the Imperial army of the Holy Roman Empire....
in 1530.
The original settlement started to grow substantially after the construction of the road connecting Pistoia to Modena
Modena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
, which passed through it (1781). In 1864 it was connected by the Ferrovia Porrettana, from Pistoia to Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
, later expanded with an electric tramway line (Ferrovia Alto Pistoiese), from Pracchia to San Marcello.