Colle di Compito (also ''Colle di Cómpito'') 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 terri ...

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 ...

in the province 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 ...

region of

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

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 ...

Geography

Colle di Compito lies approximately 7 km south of the town of

, 10 km south-east of the provincial capital

and 55 km west of the regional capital

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 ...

. The hamlet lies on a foothill north of the

Monte Pisanino Monte Pisanino is the highest peak (1,946 m) in the Alpi Apuane, in Tuscany, central Italy. Located in the comune of Minucciano (province of Lucca), it is also the highest mountain entirely belonging to the Tuscany region. Name According ...

not far from the southeastern lake Lago di Bientina (''Lago di Sesto'', municipality of

Bientina Bientina () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pisa in the Italian region Tuscany. History The toponym Bientina is attested the first time in 793 as Blentina and probably comes from the Etruscan name Plitine. Geography Ter ...

) and the plain of ''Piana Lucchese''.Contado Lucchese: I borghi di Capannori. Colle di Compito.Emanuele Repetti: ''Colle di Compito.'' In: ''Dizionario Geografico Fisico Storico della Toscana (1833–1846).'' Colle di Compito is situated northwest of Castelvecchio di Compito, and southeast of Pieve di Compito, its neighbouring settlements and administrative frazioni.

History

The place first arose from several smaller settlements (''Borghi'') before the ''Castrum Novum'' Castle was built in the Locality of Lecci above today's town center, which is called ''Borghetto''. Another fortified complex was built from the Borghetto, parts of which are still in place, along with a city gate. At that time the town belonged as a fief to the Lambercioni family from Vorno (today also a hamlet of Capannori), close to the Republic 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 ci ...

. In a conflict between Lucca and Pisa, the town was occupied and destroyed by Lucca in 1148. After the reconstruction by the Lambercioni, the hamlet remained in the sphere of influence of Lucca until, in 1313, it was ransacked by

Uguccione della Faggiola Uguccione della Faggiuola (c. 1250 – 1 November 1319) was an Italian condottiero, and Ghibelline magistrate of Pisa, Lucca and Forlì (from 1297). Biography Uguccione was born at Casteldelci and came to prominence in the late 13th century as ca ...

, who was in the pay of Pisa. Colle di Compito was last damaged in 1544 by Pisan and Florentine troops. After that, the place remained in the sphere of influence of Lucca. In 1942, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, a

prisoner-of-war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...

camp was established in the village. Its official number was P.G. (''prigionieri di guerra'') 60, and it was usually referred to as PG 60 Lucca. Although it never had permanent structures and accommodation consisted of tents in an area prone to flooding, it housed more than 3,000 British and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

prisoners of war during the period of its existence. It was handed over to the Germans on 10 September 1943, not long after the signing of the

Italian armistice The Armistice of Cassibile was an armistice signed on 3 September 1943 and made public on 8 September between the Kingdom of Italy and the Allies during World War II. It was signed by Major General Walter Bedell Smith for the Allies and Brigad ...

. During the

Italian Social Republic The Italian Social Republic ( it, Repubblica Sociale Italiana, ; RSI), known as the National Republican State of Italy ( it, Stato Nazionale Repubblicano d'Italia, SNRI) prior to December 1943 but more popularly known as the Republic of Salò ...

, as a

puppet state A puppet state, puppet régime, puppet government or dummy government, is a state that is ''de jure'' independent but ''de facto'' completely dependent upon an outside power and subject to its orders.Compare: Puppet states have nominal sove ...

of the Germans,

political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although nu ...

s, foreigners,

common law In law, common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law created by judges and similar quasi-judicial tribunals by virtue of being stated in written opinions."The common law is not a brooding omniprese ...

prisoners and

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

s were interned there, and it functioned as a

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

. In June 1944 the prisoners were moved to

Bagni di Lucca Bagni di Lucca (formerly Bagno a Corsena) is a comune of Tuscany, Italy, in the Province of Lucca with a population of about 6,100. The comune has 27 named frazioni (wards). History Bagni di Lucca has been known for its thermal springs since th ...

Sights

* ''Santa Maria Assunta'', the parish church below the village, which was first mentioned in the 11th century. It was documented in 1245. * ''Santa Maria della Consolazione'' (also ''Santuario della Madonna della Consolazione''), a church in the town center. The church was built between 1657 and 1666 and was enlarged in 1790. The neoclassical façade dates from the 19th century and the campanile was built in 1908. * ''San Martino a Palaiola'', 1260Circolo culturale Piccola Penna: San Martino di Palaiola (anticamente:Palaia)
retrieved on 6 July 2018 (Italian language) a church lying between Colle di Compito and Pieve di Compito. ColleDiCompitoCapannoriMariaAssunta1.jpg, Church of Santa Maria Assunta ColleDiCompitoCapannoriMariaConsolazione1.jpg, Church of Santa Maria della Consolazione PalaiolaCapannoriSanMartino1.jpg, Church of San Martino a Palaiola

Literature

* Emanuele Repetti: ''Colle di Compito.'' In: ''Dizionario Geografico Fisico Storico della Toscana (1833–1846).'
Online Edition
from

University of Siena The University of Siena ( it, Università degli Studi di Siena, abbreviation: UNISI) in Siena, Tuscany, is one of the oldest and first publicly funded universities in Italy. Originally called ''Studium Senese'', the institution was founded in 12 ...

(PDF, Italian Language)

References

External links

{{Commonscat, Colle di Compito
Contado Lucchese zu Colle di Compito
Frazioni of Tuscany Lucca Frazioni of the Province of Lucca