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San Donato

San Donato is an hamlet of Santa Maria a Monte municipality, it’s in province of Pisa.

HISTORY

It derive from an hamlet what it changed the ancient name of Pompiano or Poppiano, it changed the name of the ancient church dedicated to S.Donato wich the modern church dedicated to S. Giuseppe and S. Anna, It’s situated 2 miles of distance in south of Santa Maria a Monte.

It’s situated at the bottom of Santa Maria a Monte, the little hamlet of San Donato is located nearby the Arno river.

The fundamental piazza with the church and bell tower are the space where the residents of San Donato live.

The residence were built recently and most of the ancient residences were modernize.

It’s a place that attracts visitors thanks to the beautiful natural space, it offer a restaurant and other services.

It’s the best place for the lovers of the fishing and for family trip.

OASIS LAKE

The lake is distant 1 kilometres from San Donato, it has been drawn from an ancient mine.

In the 1400 Cosimo I° De’ Medici made to divert the course of the Arno’s river because it caused flood and swampland. From here the name of the street where the restaurant rises from Oasis to Lake of San Donato: “Arnovecchio”.

In the ’70s some bulding contractors extract the sand from the ground because it represented a good form of profit.

The emptied surface was about 50.000 square meters, it had a deep of 8/10 meters.

The water is limpid to be filtered from the sand.

The actual management has taken over the 1998. Since then it is in action a trasformation of the buildings and of the habitat.

The banks have been remodel to favor three levels of use:

on the top floor you can do jogging in a circuit of 1500 meters, where they will position the instruments for a healthly circuit for the care of wellness;
on the level of lake you can stroll the path in complete relax, you almost walk near the fishermen;
on the level of the fishermen you can use the cabins that protect the fishermen, the cabins make a suggestive landscape.

The lake has been defined by the FIPSAS “ the most proper for the highest competition “(Final of Italian championship of trout to the lake) It’s representing an ideal of difficulty for fishermen.

INFORMATIONS:

OASIS AT LAKE
of San Donato
EMME. GI. ERRE. srl
Via Arno Vecchio – San Donato
SANTA MARIA A MONTE (PI)
Tel. 0587 709 201
Fax 0587 704 770
Cell. 349 7833485
email: info@lagooasi.it

Bosco di Tanali

The “Bosco di Tanali” was the first protected natural area of local interest, it was created by the Toscana Regione.
All the zone was proposed as moist zone of international importance by Toscana Region by the initiative of MedWet.
The corporate body manager is the Community of Bientina, with the assistance of a Management Committee and an advisory committee.

Fauna

The protected area includes various moist habitats, they have seen a sensible increase thank to the environmental restoration activities: a wood igrofilo of notable naturalistic value, canals, flooded areas, damp lawns, rushes. In the area is present the specific flora of flooded ground.

For some species the “Bosco Tanali” constitute the unique station of lagoon of Bientina. The area of Bosco Tanali is representative of the majority of habitat and of the species of swamp areas of Tuscan fresh water. The entire lagoon of Bientina is a indicated area of the studies of “Società Botanica Italiana” as an area of botanic and vegetation interest.

Montefoscoli

Montefoscoli is situated on the top of the hill at west there is the rio Tosola and at south il Roglio.

The hamlet is organized to form a long salient suburb. The modern part is at the lower entrance, the ancient entrance is on the top of hillock, where exist the parish church, and where was her stronghold. The unique ruins of the ancient castle is a tower in a garden.

HISTORY

Emanuele Repetti inform us that Montefoscoli was a castle with a parish church, and than it was the administrative center of jurisdiction. In XIX century it was under the jurisdiction of Peccioli, in the community of Palaia, Compartement of Florence.

ORIGIN OF NAME

Nobody wanted to verificate the document mentioned by Tronci in his Annali pisani relatively to the gift of Montefoscoli done in 1101 from the countess Matilde to Foscolo Scarpetta, he is the author of “casa Griffi”; analyst slanted to believe that the castle of Montefoscoli took his name by his feudatory. In others documents Montefoscoli is mentioned and they guaranteed his name with the same name of now.

BETWEEN PISA AND FLORENCE

The Pisan chartet in 1384 put in the hamlet the residence of a judge, appealed Capitan of Val d’Era.

After Montefoscoli was subtracted by the Florentine troops, they controlled it. But it was conquered again by the Pisan troops, they having returned in Val d’Era with their capitan and authority C. Guido.

Downfall of Pisa this castle and others of the same valley they subdued to the Community of Florence, when Carlo VIII arrived in the hamlet in 1494 the citizens rebelled to Florence, they submitted under the obedience of him.

Church of Saint Bartolomeo (Morrona)

The church of Saint Bartolomeo is in Morrona in the community of Terricciola.

DESCRIPTION

The facade of the Church of Saint Bartolomeo shows the sign of the nineteenth-century remake with the unusual irregular largeness of the two naves. It was restored in the 1930, inner the building, unfortunately the reduced dimension.

In the presbytery, it is raised and divided from the rest of hall by two couples of columns, it conserve the “Martirio di San Bartolomeo”, of Tuscan school of the middle 1700. The central vaults of the dome show the mosaic decorations of 1800, they are covered in part for the successive whitening. In the right nave there is the “Madonna con Bambino e santi” of Tuscan school of XVII century.

Church of Santa Maria at Morrona

HISTORY

The Church of Santa Maria at Morrona, was founded in XI century by the Cadolongi’s counts of Fucecchio with other three abbeys, it was managed by Benedettini and later it passed to the monks Camaldolesi. The monastery was experienced by numerous upgrades during his history thanks to the donations by nobles: in 1089 by the count Uguccione, son of count Guglielmo Bulgaro, and in the years 1098 and 1109 thanks to the sons of the Count Bulgaro. The ownerships were validated by Pontiff Celestino II in 1121, by Innocenzo II in 1141 and Eugenio III in 1148.

The actual church was built in 1152, when they decided to transfer it into the ancient monastery.

In 1482 the bishop of Volterra took possession of the abbey, he transformed them into his summery residence. The Romanic building choose a unique planimetry and an unique nave apse, starting from middle of length, it is flanked by two lateral naves, they are articulate on two spans nearly to form a dilated transept. The space of monastery were been transformed into private Villa. The inner walls della of the church present frescos depicting Apostoli of eighteenth-century.

In 1870, thanks to the born of Italian State, the ownerships were confiscated and resold as farm.

Currently the estate include vineyards, olive groves and others plantations. From the ancient religious building remain the cloister, the bell tower. It was created a dedicated space for the agritourism.

Morrona

Morrona is an hamlet of the community of Terricciola

HISTORY

The first notices of Morrona are date back to year 1000. At the time under the control of the Cadolingi’s counts. In 1294, Morrona was used as refuge of ghibellini. All follow Guido da Montefeltro podestà of Pisa, they undertook a bloody war against the guelfi established in Peccioli.

In 1496 it fell under the Florentine control. In 1833 Morrona counted 460 citizens.

Monuments and Place of Interest

Abbey and church of Santa Maria, it’s an important religious complex of the territory,it was founded in 1089 by the counts Ugo della Gherardesca. it was suppressed in 1482, it was residence of the bishops of Volterra. The actual church was built in 1152, when it was decided to transfer the ancient monastery.

Church of San Bartolomeo, the parish church of the hamlet is date back to the medieval period, but the facade show the signs of nineteenth-century remakes. It has the unusual irregular largeness of two lateral naves, testimony of the extension of primordial nave. In the presbytery, it conserve the “Martirio di San Bartolomeo”, of Tuscan school of the first middle of 1700.

Sant’Ermo

HISTORY

The hamlet of Sant’Ermo appeared for the first time in XI century and it remembered for the church of Saint Ermete in 1260. It was under the control of the Pisan Upezzinghi’s counts , the presence of prestigious residential villa is documented in an act of XVIII century. The hamlet in 1833 counted 540 rezidents.

At Sant’Ermo is possible to benefit a great view that in the south of it you can see the hilly sites of Lari–Usigliano-Crespina, in the background the plain of Era and the Pisan plain, Pontedera, Ponsacco, Cascina, Pisa with the monumental zone, in the background the mountains of Lucchesia, Mountain Serra (Mountain Pisano), Mountain Verruca.

The hamlet was of the community of Lari since 1927, it formed with Ceppato, Collemontanino and Parlascio the community of Casciana Terme. From 1st Jannuary 2014 it flow into the new community of Casciana Terme Lari.

Collemontanino

HISTORY

Collemontanino, ancient castle of Cadolingi of Fucecchio, is mentioned for the first time in an act of donation in 1098 at the abbey of Morrona from the sons of the count Ugoccione Cadolingi, Ugo and Lotario. Later it passed to the Upezzinghi of Pisa, the hamlet is remembered again for a document of 22 november 1148. This date was the day when the pope Eugenio III confirmed the estates of abbey. In 1152 the abbot Jacopo of Morrona sold a part of it to the archbishop Villano Villani of Pisa. In 1393 it passed to the marquess Niccolò of Montescudaio.

The hamlet is of the community of Lari since the 1927, it formed with Ceppato, Parlascio and Sant’Ermo the community of Casciana Terme. From 1st Jannuary 2014 is flow into the new community of Casciana Terme Lari.

Parlascio

HISTORY

The territory of the hamlet resulted already frequented in prehistoric times(Neolithic). After the findings of etruscan ruins, they have brought to believe that here it was a village in VII century BC. Parlascio is documented for the first time in a selling contract in 1193. The toponym means “anfiteatro” (paralisium) and probably it was reported to the spectacular view that it open to the Pisan Hills. Here a great castle appeared, according to the tale it was founded by Matilde of Canossa, she had particularly relevance between the XII century and XIII century. It was an historical pisan dominion later it passed under the control of Florence in 1406, but successively it returned under the control of Pisa. In 1833 the hamlet counted 435 citizens.

The hamlet was under the control of the community of Lari since the 1927, later it formed with Ceppato, Collemontanino and Sant’Ermo the community of Casciana Terme. From 1st Jannuary 2014 it flow into the new community of Casciana Terme Lari.

Villa Baciocchi

The Villa Baciocchi was built in the place where the ancient nucleus of castle developed itself, it have the High Baroque style and neoclassical style. It was completely restructured in the middle of XVIII century by the Senator Alessandro Orazio Pucci.

In 1833 the building was bought by the Marquess Baciocchi, as remember the inscription on the architrave of the access gate. of that new owner remain few testimony of paintings at mural tempera, where are recognisable by the Count Felice Baciocchi and his consort Elisa Bonaparte, sister of Napoleone Bonaparte. In the various squares that they remake to the tradition of painters of 1700, there are also represented some buildings belonged to various noble families of Lucca and Pisa, the they were owner of Villa. Between these the Della Gherardesca, and the Ludovisi, the Gambicorti, the Pucci.

Today the community is the owner of Villa Baciocchi and it house a Zoological Museum and a Center of Archeological Research.

PARK

There is also an ample park annex to the villa that isolate the villa from the residential area, thanks to the trees. The garden is date back to the second half of 1800s when the Baciocchi entrust the reorganization of practicability, of the entries, of the enclosures and furnitures to Luigi Bellincioni, he studded the park with a series of plus varied stylistic characters: little aedicule with panoramic frescos, and neo-gothic buildings.

Today the park contain 160 rare botanical species, and some of them are centuries-old, they come from various parts of the world. Each plant was classified and you can read his characteristics in a sign fixed at his feet. The centuries-old plants are particularly important like the giant redwood, the bamboo and the taxus.