Pievepelago ( Frignanese: or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the

Province of Modena The Province of Modena ( it, Provincia di Modena) is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Modena. It has an area of and a total population of about 701,000 (2015). There are 48 ''comuni'' (singular: ''co ...

in the Italian region of

Emilia-Romagna egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title ...

in the heart of the northern

Apennine Mountains The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...

. Situated on the ''Scoltenna river'', in a mountain valley, it is a tourist resort crossed by the "Via Vandelli". It is about southwest of

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

, about southwest of

Modena Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...

, about north 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 o ...

and about northwest 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 ...

. It has a population of about 2200 inhabitants, spread among the main town and its ''frazioni'' ''Sant'Annapelago'', ''Roccapelago'', ''Sant'Andreapelago'' and ''Tagliole''.

History

Pievepelago is of medieval origins. The first document which attests the presence of a village in the valley belongs to the 10th century. The name of the village came from the presence of the ''pieve'' (rural church) of

Santa Maria Assunta Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight ...

since its early years. In the 18th century, two roads, Via Vandelli and Giardini, were built in order to join

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

to the north of Italy by cutting across the

Apennines The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...

. That development increased trade a lot in the valley, and brought the town greater prestige and population. 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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Pievepelago was on the

Gothic line The Gothic Line (german: Gotenstellung; it, Linea Gotica) was a German Defense line, defensive line of the Italian Campaign (World War II), Italian Campaign of World War II. It formed Generalfeldmarschall, Field Marshal Albert Kesselring's la ...

, and many inhabitants fought as partisans to free the valley. A monument celebrating the victims of the war is located in the center of town.

Sport

Pievepelago is a local mountain outdoor activity centre. In

winter Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures ...

the most practised sport is skiing, in the ski resort of ''Sant'Annapelago'' or in the larger ones of

Abetone Abetone was a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pistoia in the Italian region of Tuscany, located about northwest of Florence and about northwest of Pistoia. It has been a frazione of Abetone Cutigliano since 2017. History Abet ...

and

Monte Cimone Monte Cimone is the highest mountain in the northern Apennines, of Italy. Geography The mountain has an elevation of 2,165 m and is also the highest point in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. It encompasses the ''comuni'' of Fiumalbo, ...

. In

summer Summer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, the earliest sunrise and latest sunset occurs, daylight hours are longest and dark hours are shortest, wit ...

trekking can be performed in the ''Frignano Wild Park''. The excursions usually starts at the glacial lakes in Tagliole Valley up to the peaks of

Monte Riolunato Monte may refer to: Places Argentina * Argentine Monte, an ecoregion * Monte Desert * Monte Partido, a ''partido'' in Buenos Aires Province Italy * Monte Bregagno * Monte Cassino * Montecorvino (disambiguation) * Montefalcione Portugal * Monte ...

and

Monte Giovo Monte may refer to: Places Argentina * Argentine Monte, an ecoregion * Monte Desert * Monte Partido, a ''partido'' in Buenos Aires Province Italy * Monte Bregagno * Monte Cassino * Montecorvino (disambiguation) * Montefalcione Portugal * Monte ...

, which is the second highest mountain in the region.

Nature

This territory also contains a variety of fauna like, such as

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of p ...

s. Near Pievepelago there is the Santo Lake, an area of naturalistic interest and also a starting point for excursions.

Museums

In 2010 some mummified human remains were found in the crypt of the church in ''Roccapelago''.Gli scavi della Chiesa di San Paolo di Roccapelago nell'Appennino modenese. La cripta con i corpi mummificati naturalmente. Firenze 2011 iorgio Gruppioni, Donato Labate, Luca Mercuri, Vania Milani, Mirko Traversari, Barbara Vernia/ref> Today the local castle houses the ''Museo delle Mummie'' where this archaeological ix exhibited.

People

Palmiro Serafini Palmiro Serafini (27 February 1945 – 28 December 2013) was an Italian ski mountaineer and cross-country skier. Serafini was born in Pievepelago. He participated at the 1968 Winter Olympics, when he placed sixth together with Giulio de Fl ...

(born 1945), ski mountaineer and cross-country skier

References

Cities and towns in Emilia-Romagna {{EmiliaRomagna-geo-stub