Sofignano is an Italian

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

and ''

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 ...

'' belonging to the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Vaiano Vaiano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Prato in the Italian region of Tuscany. It is located about northwest of Florence and about north of Prato. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 9,532 and an area of .All de ...

, in the Province of Prato,

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 ...

Geography

Overview

The village of Sofignano is 2,33 kilometers from Vaiano. It belongs Vaiano municipality together with Fabio (2,28 km), Faltugnano (2,91 km), La Briglia (1,51 km), La Cartaia (2,57 km), La Tignamica (0,47 km), Le Fornaci (3,10 km), Schignano (2,83 km) Sofignano is spread on the mid side of the western face of the Calvana Hill and it consists of various localities:

Localities

Sofignano consists of several courtyards and small villages: ;Boana Nucleus of a few houses including a

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

and some houses. ;Ca' dei Landi Medieval group of houses and a church now accessible only by foot. There are stems and religious

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

now left into ruin. ;Casanera Fortified mansion dated 1200 now being renovated, it is the southernmost building in Sofignano. ;Collisassi Village perched on the mountain with several refurbished villas. ;Colombaia Ancient buildings and farmhouses now surrounded by few modern houses. ;Docciola Between Le Fornaci and the

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

the Le Fornaci, it is a group of single houses with stables and a few nearby

cottages A cottage, during Feudalism in England, England's feudal period, was the holding by a cottager (known as a Cotter (farmer), cotter or ''bordar'') of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager ...

. ;Fattoria delle Mura Now completely renewed, this big villa and the many houses around it were built ond a medieval tower. the tower, now completely lost, was part of a triangle of towers made by this one, the San Gaudenzio Tower (then included into the villa) and the Torre del Melograno, recently re-discovered and representing the main medieval manufact in Sofignano. .http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Localita%27_Fattoria_delle_mura ;L'Olmo Group of houses mostly farms. ;La Lastruccia Other houses perched on a

hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct Summit (topography), summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally con ...

. ;Il Baldino At Collisassi Il Baldino and consists of dwellings. ;Sofignano (village) The proper village that names the area. Here is the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

Santi Vito e Modesto in Sofignano {{Coord, 43.9706828, N, 11.1480033, E, display=title Santi Vito e Modesto is a church in the Italian village of Sofignano, a ''frazione'' of Vaiano, in the region of Tuscany, Italy History The parish church has been written of since 1024. Ori ...

and the

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

. ;Le Fornaci It is the most populated area, surrounding an ancient village where bricks were produced into a fornax, naming the place (Fornace = fornax). It started expanding around the old part in the 1980s and it is now considered by many the actual center of Sofignano.

Gallery

File:Sofignano 02.jpg, Landscape of Boana File:Localita' Ca' dei Landi-paese di pace.jpg, Ca' dei Landi File:Sofignano 49.jpg, Villa Fabbri File:Sofignano 16.jpg, Old Mill File:Sofignano-la pieve.jpg, Parish church ''

'' File:Sofignano-Pieve e natura.jpg, Landscape of L'Olmo File:Le Fornaci 22.jpg, Old village Le Fornaci File:Frantoio della Valle di Bisenzio 2.jpg, Bisenzio Valley oil mill in Le Fornaci

References

External links