Holiday apartment in Monte a Pescia – churches, paths and hilltop village

Monte a Pescia is an ancient hilltop village at an elevation of 319 metres, with views across the valley of the Pescia River. The views over the valley and the historic routes connecting the area come together here with the village’s churches, works of art and chapel. Landscape, sacred art and local history thus converge in one place.

Churches, works of art and remembrance

The parish church of Saints Bartholomew and Andrew already appears in the Lucca tax assessment register of 1260. The Romanesque rectory church of Saints Bartholomew and Andrew stands on the crest of the hill. The high altar contains a reliquary with a Holy Thorn. The designation rectory church refers to an ecclesiastical function, while “Romanesque” describes the architectural style. A reliquary is a container for a relic; the Holy Thorn is thus identified as the specific contents of the high altar.

The church of San Bartolomeo in Monte a Pescia houses a polychrome, glazed terracotta statue of its patron saint. This statue is attributed to Luca della Robbia the Younger. The attribution to Luca della Robbia the Younger places the statue in an art-historical context without claiming securely established authorship. Glazed terracotta combines fired clay with a coloured surface. The chapel of the Compagnia dell’Opera di San Bartolomeo e Andrea contains the tomb of the composer Giovanni Pacini. Alongside the attribution and the tomb, art and musical history become part of the site’s sacred spaces.

The village occupied a strategic position because a possible advance against Bareglia Fortress could be detected in time to prevent an attack.

Old paths to Monte a Pescia and Collodi

CAI trail 251A leads from the church of Santo Stefano in Pescia via Cafaggio and Barignano to Monte a Pescia. The route is thus defined by a religious starting point, two intermediate places and the destination.

An ASC guide leads a walk to Monte a Pescia along the old pack-animal trail. A pack-animal trail is a historic route used to transport goods with pack animals.

In addition, the Via della Fiaba is an old route and pack-animal trail from Pescia to Collodi, marked with the white-and-red CAI-51 trail markings. Unlike CAI trail 251A, this connection leads from Pescia to Collodi. The white-and-red CAI-51 markings accompany the route as visible trail signs.

Planning your journey and visit

Monte a Pescia is accessible by car. The church of Saints Bartholomew and Andrew can be visited by car with prior reservation. A guided excursion to Monte a Pescia lasts one hour and 15 minutes.

Other places

Other places: Collodi, Fibbialla, Castelvecchio, Aramo, Pietrabuona, Vellano, San Quirico and Sorana.

More about Pescia.