Colle di Buggiano is a little medieval village in the

Valdinievole Valdinievole or Val di Nievole (; "Valley of the Nievole (River)") is an area in the south-western part of the province of Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy. Geography The area is made up of 11 comuni: Buggiano, Chiesina Uzzanese, Larciano, Lamporecchio, ...

. It is a

frazione 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 era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

of the

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 ...

Buggiano Buggiano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pistoia in the Italian region Tuscany, located about northwest of Florence and about southwest of Pistoia. Main sights *Sanctuary of the Holy Crucifix (18th century) * Pieve di Sant'Andr ...

, in the province of

Pistoia Pistoia (, is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about west and north of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a typi ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

History

As suggested by the name, which means "Hill of Buggiano", the village stands on a hill above Buggiano. It is close to the Castle of Buggiano to which it belonged and whose history it shares,E. Repetti
''Dizionario geografico, fisico, storico della Toscana''
Firenze, 1833, Vol. 1, p. 370 and about half-way between Buggiano and

Massa e Cozzile Massa e Cozzile is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pistoia in the Italian region Tuscany, located about northwest of Florence and about west of Pistoia, in the central part of the Valdinievole. It was the birthplace of composer Be ...

. Its origin dates to about the year 500, but the original village was founded a century earlier one kilometre from the present village. The decision to change the location of the village was made for defensive reasons, as the original village was too exposed to enemy raids. During the medieval age Colle di Buggiano became an important rest station along the only viable route 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 ...

and Pistoia. The

Knights of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

founded a church here, still recognizable today by the big red cross located in front of the entrance. Colle and its neighborhood has a population of about 300 people.

Gallery

File:Buggiano colle, veduta 01.jpg, Colle di Buggiano File:Buggiano colle, pieve di san lorenzo 01.jpg, Chiesa di San Lorenzo

References

External links

* Frazioni of the Province of Pistoia {{Italy-geo-stub