Photo © Municipality of San Romano in Garfagnana

San Romano in Garfagnana (ZIP code 55038) is 124,1 kilometers far from Lucca, that is the Chief Town of the homonymous province to whom the municipality belongs.

San Romano in Garfagnana has a population of 1.432 inhabitants (Sanromani) and a surface of 26,04 square kilometers thus showing a population density of 54,99 inhabitants per square kilometer. It rises 555 metres above the sea level.

The City Hall is located in Via Roma 9, phone ++39 0583 - 613181, fax ++39 0583 - 613306: the E-Mail address is info@comunesanromano.it.

Population: The municipality of San Romano in Garfagnana had a popolation of 1.408 inhabitants accordingly to the results of the national census made in 1991. After the national census made in 2001 the population was 1.432 inhabitants, thus showing during the years 1991 - 2001 a percentual variation of 1,70% inhabitants.

The inhabitants are distributed in 517 families with an average of 2,77 people per family.

The place: The territory of the municipality lies between 325 and 1.846 metres above sea level.

The altimetric spawn is thus of 1.521 metres.

Work and workers:There are 18 industrial firms employing 60 people that are the 31,25% of the total of the workers. There are 22 service firms employing 39 people that are the 20,31% of the total of the workers. There are also 20 firms employing 60 people that are the 31,25% of the total of the workers. There are also 10 administrative offices emplying 33 workers that are the 17,19% of the total of the workers.

There is a total of 192 workers, that are the 13,41% of the inhabitants of the municipality.

San Romano in Garfagnana rises in the territory of the northen Garfagnana area.

Photo © Municipality of San Romano in Garfagnana

The local economy is mainly based on the production of cereals, vine grape and on the breeding of ovines.

The place name probably comes from the name of a close parish church entitled to Saint Romano, to which the specification "Garfagnana" was added with reference to the area where the town rises.

The first settlements in the territory of San Romano in Garfagnana go back to the age of the Ligurian Apuani, to whom the Romans succeeded.

After the collapse of the Roman Empire the area was left because of the Barbaric invasions and repopulated during the Early Middle Ages.

At that time the territory was divided into two areas subdued to two different families: the Gherardini dominated the northen part of the territory, whereas the Bacciano's Counts dominated the souther one.

The German Gherardini's family lived in the Fortress of the Verrucole, whose around the local community started to gather, forming a first residential settlement.

At the same time another urban settlement formed arouns the castle dominated by the Bacciano's Counts.

The two families governed the territory up to the beginning of the XV-th century, when the troops of the Republic of Florence invaded the village and destroyed the Bacciano's Castle. Later both the Gherardini's family and the Bacciano's Counts left the village of San Romano in Garfagnana and this latter equipped itself with own statutes, enjoying such an autonomy until the Republic of Lucca subdued the whole area.

From then started a bloody power struggle among the powerful cities of the time, all wanted to control San Romano in Garfagnana. The quarrel ended with the victory of the Estensi from Ferrara, who already governed the Dukedom of Modena.

Photo © Municipality of San Romano in Garfagnana

Since the middle of the XV-th century the village of San Romano in Garfagnana was annexed to the possessions of the Dukedom of Modena, of which the village shared the economic and political chances up to the Unity of Italy occurred on 1861 by the action of the King Vittorio Emanuele II of Savoia.

Among the most important monuments to see in San Romano in Garfagnana we point out here the Chiesa di Santo Stefano (Saint Stephen Church), the Chiesa di San Martino a Sillicagnana (Saint Martin Church in Sillicagnana), the Santuario della Madonna del Bosco (Our Lady of the Wood Sanctuary) and the Fortezza delle Verrucole (Fortress of the Verrucole).

Among the numerous celebrations periodically taking place in San Romano in Garfagnana we remind the "Porchetta Festival" held yearly on August and during which it is possible to taste the good typical local courses like the "porchetta" (pork meat cooked in a particular way).