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Towns of the area

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Bagni Di Lucca

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Inhabitants in 1991: 7.336

The territory of Bagni di Lucca in the Val di Lima, extends for 164,65 square kilometres,. For the most part in an area of high hills and mountains, on the southern slopes of the Tosco Emiliano Apennines. Over the years it has suffered several modifications to its borders reaching its present day aspect in 1897, when it aggregated the district of Fornoli, detached from the municipality of Borgo a Mozzano.

Bagni di Lucca, called for a long time Bagno a Corsena, was originally inhabited by Ligurian tribes – as is attested by the Necropolis of Montefegatesi, in the high valley of the river Fegana – and subsequently by Roman colonies. Mentioned for the first time in the Pisa chronicles of Guidone da Corvaia, in 983 it became the dominion of the Lords Fraolmo. In the XIII century under the direct jurisdiction of Lucca, Bagni di Lucca was inserted into the Vicariate of Val di Lima and then subdivided at the beginning of the XIV century between this and the Vicariate of Valleriana. For the great importance acquired by the thermal baths, already noted in the Medieval era and described by, among others, Montaigne and da Heine, Bagni di Lucca became the summer Vicariate Seat from 1446 and the permanent Seat from 1685, reaching greater expansion and importance during the principality of the Baciocchi. With their successor Carlo Ludovico di Borbone, who stayed there often, its renown increased and with it the cosmopolitanism of the thermal station, destination of the nobles, men of letters and artists. During the battle for Liberation, Bagni di Lucca was the theatre of a tenacious resistance and had to bear attacks and reprisals from the Germans, like that which took place in July 1944 against the district of Montefegatesi, which ended with the sad balance of several deaths among the partisans and about ninety people being deported. In the same month in Ponte a Serraglio, the Germans captured and barbarically killed thirteen partisans.

Places to visit:
Bagni alla Villa, principal district which includes the most ancient nucleus of the town.
Casinò Municipale, elegant construction of 1840, which represented the period of greatest renown of the little town.

Historical info reproduced upon authorization of Regione Toscana - Dipartimento della Presidenza E Affari Legislativi e Giuridici
Translated by Ann Mountford


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