Photo © Municipality of Pieve Fosciana

Pieve Fosciana (ZIP code 55036) is 51,5 kilometers far from Lucca, that is the Chief Town of the homonymous province to whom the municipality belongs.

Pieve Fosciana has a population of 2.365 inhabitants (Pievarini) and a surface of 28,77 square kilometers thus showing a population density of 82,20 inhabitants per square kilometer. It rises 369 metres above the sea level.

The City Hall is located in Via S. Giovanni, phone ++39 0583 - 666166, fax ++39 0583 - 666658: the E-Mail address is comunepievefosc@mclink.it.

Population: The municipality of Pieve Fosciana had a popolation of 2.440 inhabitants accordingly to the results of the national census made in 1991. After the national census made in 2001 the population was 2.365 inhabitants, thus showing during the years 1991 - 2001 a percentual variation of -3,07% inhabitants.

The inhabitants are distributed in 897 families with an average of 2,64 people per family.

The place: The territory of the municipality lies between 250 and 1.693 metres above sea level.

The altimetric spawn is thus of 1.443 metres.

Work and workers:There are 51 industrial firms employing 360 people that are the 55,13% of the total of the workers. There are 55 service firms employing 132 people that are the 20,21% of the total of the workers. There are also 44 firms employing 122 people that are the 18,68% of the total of the workers. There are also 18 administrative offices emplying 39 workers that are the 5,97% of the total of the workers.

There is a total of 653 workers, that are the 27,61% of the inhabitants of the municipality.

Pieve Fosciana rises in the Garfagnana area.

The local economy is fully based on agriculture.

Photo © Wikipedia

The place name probably comes from the compound of "pieve" (parish), with reference to an ancient parish that administered the local community, and of the Latin proper name of person "Fuscianus", to which the suffix "-ana" was added to indicate "belonging".

The first settlements in the territory of Pieve Fosciana go back to the Roman Age, as testified the numerous archaeological finds came to light and dating back to that time.

After the collapse of the Roman Empire the territory depopulated because of the recurrent Barbaric invasions, typical of that period, and repopulated during the Early Middle Ages.

The village developed around a parish that, according to some popular legends, would be built during the IV-th century A.C. by one of the first bishops of Lucca, Saint Frediano.

Since the beginning the community of Pieve Fosciana dedicated to the agriculture that was the main economic resource of the village.

During the Middle Ages the village reached a great importance thanks to its parish, the only religious building of the whole territory of the Garfagnana where it was possible to be baptized, as an official document dating back to 1168 testifies.

During the XII-th century the Parish of Pieve Fosciana got its actual architectural structure, by being restored and modified.

Photo © Municipality of Pieve Fosciana

Between the XII-th and XV-th century the village of Pieve Fosciana was in the middle of a long quarrel involving the close localities and that ended just by coming the Estensi's family from Ferrara to the power. At that time the Estensi governed the Dukedom of Modena.

Therefore Pieve Fosciana was annexed to the possessions of the Dukedom of Modena of the Estensi's family, whose domination lasted up to the invasion of the French troops leaded by Napoleone Bonaparte.

After the collapse of the Napoleonic Empire, occurred on 1814, Pieve Fosciana came back again to the Estensi who governed the village until its annexing to the Reign of Italy, occurred on 1861 by the action of the King Vittorio Emanuele II of Savoia.

Among the most important monuments to see in Pieve Fosciana we point out here the Pieve di San Giovanni Battista (Saint John Baptist Parish), the Chiesa di San Magno (Saint Magno Church) and the Torre di Sillico (Tower of Sillico).

Among the numerous celebrations periodically taking place in Pieve Fosciana remind the traditional "Tasting Walk" held yearly on the first days of August and during which it is possible to revive the ancient local rural traditions and also taste the good typical local courses, cooked according to the local ancient traditional recipes.