Bientina () is a ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' (municipality) in the

Province of Pisa The province of Pisa ( it, provincia di Pisa) is a province in the Tuscany region of central Italy. Its capital is the city of Pisa. With an area of and a total population of 421,642 (), it is the second most populous and fifth largest province ...

in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

region

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

History

The toponym Bientina is attested the first time in 793 as Blentina and probably comes from the

Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy *Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization **Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities ** Etrusca ...

name Plitine.

Geography

Territory

Bientina is located between

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 o ...

's plain (Piana di Lucca) and the

Valdarno The Valdarno is the valley of the river Arno, although this name does not apply to the entire river basin. Usage of the term generally excludes Casentino and the valleys formed by major tributaries. Some towns in the area: *Rignano sull'Arno *Fi ...

. It is about to the west of

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

and about east of

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

and it borders the following municipalities:

Altopascio Altopascio is a ''comune'' in the Province of Lucca 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 ...

, Buti,

Calcinaia Calcinaia (Latin: ''Vicus Vitri'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) and town in the province of Pisa in the Italian region Tuscany, located about west of Florence and about east of Pisa. Calcinaia borders the following municipalities: Bientina, C ...

Capannori Capannori () is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the province of Lucca, in northern Tuscany. History The 40 hamlets of Capannori are located on the lands that once corresponded to the eastern territories of the Republic of Lucca. Most of those h ...

Castelfranco di Sotto Castelfranco di Sotto is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pisa in the Italian region Tuscany, located about west of Florence and about east of Pisa. Castelfranco di Sotto borders the following municipalities: Altopascio, Bientin ...

Santa Maria a Monte Santa Maria a Monte is a ''comune'' in the Province of Pisa in the Italian region of Tuscany. The town lies about west of Florence and about east of Pisa. Geography The main ''frazioni'' are the villages of Cerretti, Montecalvoli, San Dona ...

Vicopisano Vicopisano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pisa in the Italian region Tuscany, located about west of Florence and about east of Pisa. It occupies the former valley of the Arno River (which now flows some km southwards), bounded ...

. To the north of the town there was once the largest lake in Tuscany, the

Lago di Bientina Lago di Bientina'','' also known as Lago di Sesto, was a lake in Tuscany, Italy. Located to the north of the town of Bientina, between Lucca and Pisa, the lake was historically subject to numerous efforts at drainage due to its tendency to flood ...

, until it was drained in 1859 and converted to farmland. The municipality is formed by the municipal seat of Bientina and the villages (''

frazioni A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist era (1922–1943) as ...

'') of Caccialupi, Puntone, Quattro Strade and Santa Colomba.

Climate

Bientina experiences a

Mediterranean Climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

like other cities in

Central Italy Central Italy ( it, Italia centrale or just ) is one of the five official statistical regions of Italy used by the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), a first-level NUTS region, and a European Parliament constituency. Regions Central It ...

. Being more distant from the sea, winters are usually less mild than

and summers are warmer. The climatic classification is "Zone D, 1856 GR/G"

Main sights

Religious architecture

* Church of San Domenico (1621) * Church of Santa Maria Assunta (

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

- expanded and renovated in the mid-1600) * Church of Madonna del Bosco in Santa Colomba * Oratory of San Girolamo (1640), home to the museum of ancient history of Bientina * Oratory of San Pietro and Rocco (17th century) * Oratory of San Giusto, the first church of Bientina (12th century)

Civil architecture

* Palazzo Pancani * La Mora tower (13th century) * Torre Civica (Torre del Frantoio) (13th century) - center of cultural activity. * Torre del Giglio (13th century) * Loggetta del Palazzo Comunale (17th century) Image:Bientina,_porta_fiorentina_01_campanile_di_s._domenico.JPG, Church of San Domenico Image:Bientina, torre la mora (xiii sec.) 01.JPG, La Mora tower Image:Bientina,_Santa_Maria_Assunta,_interno_08.JPG, Church of Santa Maria Assunta Image:Bientina,_piazza,_fontana.JPG, Fountain in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele

Transport

Roads

Bientina is crossed by the Strada provinciale 439 Sarzanese Valdera and some secondary roads. Public transportation is performed by the company CTT Nord.

Trains

Until 1944 the town also had a train station along the former railway

Pontedera Pontedera (; la, Pons Herae) is an italian comune with a population of 29.270 inhabitants, located in the province of Pisa, Tuscany, Central Italy, central Italy. The town is located 20 km (12 miles) from Pisa and 50 km (31 miles) from Florenc ...

; the dilapidated building is still visible along the main road 25.

Notable people

Aldo Puccinelli Aldo Puccinelli (25 December 1920 – 11 March 1994) was an Italian association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet ...

Gaetano Polidori Gaetano Fedele Polidori (1763–1853) was an Italian writer, political and scholar living in Highgate. He was the son of Agostino Ansano Polidori (1714–1778), a physician and poet who lived and practised in his native Bientina, near Pisa, ...

John Polidori John William Polidori (7 September 1795 – 24 August 1821) was a British writer and physician. He is known for his associations with the Romantic movement and credited by some as the creator of the vampire genre of fantasy fiction. His most succ ...

* Enrico Rossi

International relations

Bientina is twinned with

Saint-Rémy-de-Provence Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (; Provençal Occitan: ''Sant Romieg de Provença'' in classical and ''Sant Roumié de Prouvènço'' in Mistralian norms) is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Southern France. Loc ...

since 1997

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Tuscany