Discover Filettole: Nature, History and Trails

Filettole lies on the right bank of the Serchio, opposite Ripafratta. The village combines a historic centre with hills, a wetland and traces of regional culture. If you are planning a trip with different daily rhythms, you will find short and longer routes, opportunities to observe nature and historical themes that can be combined with ease.

Nature between Il Padule and the Regional Park

Il Padule is a wetland of approximately 33 hectares within the area covered by the communal usage rights of the districts of Vecchiano, Avane, Nodica and Filettole. It is entirely protected by the Migliarino–San Rossore–Massaciuccoli Regional Park. The nearby Marina di Vecchiano is also located within this regional park. In spring, orchids, cistus and other spontaneously occurring herbaceous plants bloom at Sassi Grossi.

Historic Centre and Local Traces

Filettole preserves a historic centre whose layout and building types are more reminiscent of the area around Lucca. The Church of San Maurizio is documented before the year 1000 among the possessions of Lucca Cathedral; its interior contains a fresco cycle by Luigi Ademollo. Castellaccio was built in the Middle Ages over an earlier convent for women dedicated to Santa Viviana. On Via di Filettole stands the Cippo di Laiano memorial.

The traditional use of the landscape is also part of the village’s history: falasco (Cladium mariscus) was used in the area covered by the communal usage rights of Vecchiano, Avane, Nodica and Filettole to weave seat surfaces, bottles and demijohns. The “Strada dell’Olio del Monte Pisano” also begins in the Vecchiano area and leads as far as Buti.

Easy Routes with Different Time Frames

The “Da Filettole alle tre vallate lucchesi” route is easy, takes 3 hours and begins in the centre of Filettole on Via di Castello. The “Da Filettole alla Torre segata” route is also easy; it takes 2 hours, likewise begins in the centre on Via di Castello and has an uneven final section. The routes through the hills of Filettole, Vecchiano and Avane can be completed by bicycle or on foot.

The “Da Filettole agli Ulivi di Padule” route begins in the centre of Filettole and climbs uphill along Via del Castello. It passes through a natural landscape crossed by the valley of the Rio del Bucine. Torre Segata is the ruin of the medieval Torre dell’Aquila; only half of its masonry structure remains.

When choosing a holiday apartment in Filettole, you can therefore decide for yourself what to focus on during your stay: the historic centre, the routes through the hills, the protected landscape around Il Padule or the regional traces leading as far as Buti. The two-hour and three-hour routes offer two clearly distinct time frames.

More local pages: Migliarino, Avane.

Return to the main travel overview: Vecchiano.