MOUNTAINS |
|
SEA |
 NEWSPAPERS & MAGAZINES |
|
| LINKS |
|
| USEFUL
SITES |
|
| TELEPHONE
BOOKS |
|
| EDITORIAL
STAFF |
|
|
 |
| |
|
|
|
|
POPIGLIO
A real pearl of the Pistoiese Mountain, Popiglio is among
the oldest villages in this area and was a feud under the Counts
Guidi before the 11th century. The excellent preservation of the
medieval buildings makes it one of the most interesting destination
around Pistoia, and it is also a start point for pleasant excursions
in the forests. The fortified castle of Popiglio was destroyed several
times during the wars between Pistoia and Lucca and the remains
of the imposing fortification from the Middle Ages which witness
its strategic position along the border of Lucca.
|
|
The
Pieve di Santa Maria Assunta at Popiglio is one of the most important
religious buildings of the Pistoiese Mountain. Founded in 1271, it
preserves its original Romanesque external part, with a sober stone
façade decorated with bas-relieves. The inside of the church
was modified in the 16th century and houses artworks from the Middle
Ages and on. The Pieve di Santa Maria Assunta also hosts one of the
two sections of the Museo di Arte Sacra in the Ecomuseo della Montagna
Pistoiese (the other section is located in the nearby Compagnia del
Corpus Domini). Here you find paintings, furnishing, sculptures and
vestments and is the end of the itinerary of holy art and popular
religiosity in the Eco-museum. From the church departs some very interesting
itineraries, among which we can mention the one that goes to Ponte
(bridge) di Castruccio, a medieval construction with one arch over
the stream Lima: the marvellous architecture of the bridge and the
beauty of the landscape, make the bridge a fascinating site which
is worth to be seen.
At the highest part of the village you find the Convento dei
Santi Domenico e Francesco, a vast complex which is actually two convents
founded around the middle of the 16th century. There is not much left
of the primitive convent, but the complex with a 18th century architecture,
preserves its original fascination and is worth to bee seen. The medieval
charm of Popiglio is underscored in the two towers, the last powerful
remains of the military fortifications which are located on the top
of the hill which dominates the valley of Lima. From Popiglio you
easily reach the old village of Migliorini, once the crossroad which
connected the Pistoiese Mountain with the Garfagnana. Today it is
an enchanting rural village, well-preserved and restructured at the
slopes of the mountain. |
|
 |
|
