Altopascio is a ''
comune'' in the
Province of Lucca
The province of Lucca ( it, provincia di Lucca) is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Lucca.
It has an area of and a total population of about 390,000. There are 33 ''comuni'' (singular: ''comune'') in the p ...
in the
Tuscany region of Italy with a population of 15,572.
History
Already inhabited in
Roman times, Altopascio gained in importance due to its ''Spedale'' (hostel, first mentioned in 1084) for the pilgrims who travelled on the
Via Francigena, leading from France to Rome. This formed the basis of the later
Order of Saint James of Altopascio
The Order of Saint James of Altopascio ( it, Ordine di San Giacomo d'Altopascio or ''Ordine dei Frati Ospitalieri di San Jacopo''), also called the Knights of the Tau (''Cavalieri del Tau'') or Hospitallers of Saint James, was a military order, per ...
. This, founded by
Matilda of Canossa
Matilda of Tuscany ( it, Matilde di Canossa , la, Matilda, ; 1046 – 24 July 1115 or Matilda of Canossa after her ancestral castle of Canossa), also referred to as ("the Great Countess"), was a member of the House of Canossa (also known as th ...
between 1070 and 1080, was one of the first of the
Military Orders; it existed for four hundred years, in which it had considerable social, political and military influence, and though gaining land in various European countries retained its strong ties to the town where it was founded.
It is famous for the
battle of Altopascio
The Battle of Altopascio was a battle fought in 1325 in Tuscany, between the Ghibelline forces of Lucca under Castruccio Castracani and those of Guelph Florence.
Background
After subduing several Ghibelline towns, Castracani had conquered Pistoia ...
in 1325 in which the
Ghibelline leader
Castruccio Castracani
Castruccio Castracani degli Antelminelli (; 1281 – 3 September 1328) was an Italian ''condottiero'' and duke of Lucca.
Biography
Castruccio was born in Lucca, a member of the noble family of Antelminelli, of the Ghibelline party. In 1300 he ...
defeated the Florentines Guelphs led by
Ramon de Cardona. Thanks to his victory, he became duke of
Lucca
Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957.
Lucca is known as one ...
.
The ''Spedale'' declined starting from the 16th century, until Grand Duke
Peter Leopold
, house =Habsburg-Lorraine
, father =Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor
, mother = Maria Theresa of Hungary and Bohemia
, religion =Roman Catholicism
, succession1 =Grand Duke of Tuscany
, reign1 =18 Au ...
suppressed it in 1773, to favour that in
Pescia
Pescia () is an Italian city in the province of Pistoia, Tuscany, central Italy.
It is located in a central zone between the cities Lucca and Florence, on the banks of the river of the same name.
History
Archaeological excavations have sugges ...
.
Main sights
*Badia (abbey) of St. Peter, known from 1039. It was held by the Benedictines from 1086 and then by the
Camaldolese
The Camaldolese Hermits of Mount Corona ( la, Congregatio Eremitarum Camaldulensium Montis Coronae), commonly called Camaldolese is a monastic order of Pontifical Right for men founded by Saint Romuald. Their name is derived from the Holy Hermita ...
from 1103. It reached its maximum splendour in the later 13th century, but by the Battle of Altopascio (1325) it began to decline, and was abandoned in 1408. Of the medieval original structure, only the exterior of the apse remain.
*Church of ''Santi Jacopo, Cristoforo and Eligio'' (best known as ''San Jacopo Maggiore''), annexed to the ''Spedale''. It was a medieval hospital complex, of which the cloister, the bell tower and parts (façade and apse area) of the Romanesque church.
Sister cities
*
El Perelló
El Perelló is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Baix Ebre in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the north of the ''comarca'', below the Boix and Cabrafeixet ranges. The N-340 road runs around the town, and connects it with the A-7 ''a ...
, Spain
*
Saint-Gilles, France
References
External links
*
Tourism in Altopascio
Cities and towns in Tuscany
{{Lucca-geo-stub