VIA FRANCIGENA CAMAIORE – TRACK 1
FROM VALDICASTELLO TO THE PIANORE
Way’s decription: It begins at the via Sarzanese near the Baccatoio locations and reach the church of S. Happiness of the twelfth century. The route follows the county road to Valdicastello and on the right a detour that leads, with uphill, until reaching Colle delle Banche home to an important discovery of a Bronze Age storage (weapons and ornaments) also the end of the border between the towns of Pietrasanta and Camaiore. The exhibition continues until you reach a path leading to the town of Cannoreto located behind the hill of Rotaio Castle, built by the city of Lucca in 1223, it enters in the Via di S. Michele and reaches the Villa delle Pianore. The oldest part of the villa consists of a building of modest dimensions, sold in 1826 by Orsucci family to Maria Teresa of Savoy Duchess of Lucca, who used it as a villa. From 1878 to 1888 worked at the villa the architect from Lucca Domenico Martini, who, of the Duke by Bourbon Roberto’s commission, realized the imposing three-storey building. The park accommodation was made by the architect and landscape architect Dechamps, extremely interesting: in its vegetation are mixed native and exotic species. In 1892 the Villa Le Pianore was born Zita of Bourbon last empress of Austria.
VIA FRANCIGENA CAMAIORE – TRACK 2
FROM THE PIANORE TO VIA DEL PEZZIGNO
Way’s decription: From Villa Le Pianore, the official route which follows the historical one, continue on the paved street that in the seventeenth century maps is referred to as "Roman road." Left the paved track along the road passes not far from the archaeological site of the Etruscan and Roman period which came to light in Acquarella during certain construction works. The different excavations have allowed to bring to light the structures of a Roman farm. The rural settlement testifies different phases of occupation, from the Etruscan period (VI-V century BC), throughout the Roman period, up to high middle age (VI-VII century A.D.). The Roman era farm used in II-I BC and IV-V A.D. preserves intact the oil press squeezing area with paving in "earthenware" and tanks for the collection and decanting of the oil, an uncovered space in which are housed five large dolia terracotta for storage. The reperts include coins, metals, glass and earthenware, also imported from North Africa.
The historic route from the town Acquarella continues on the path of the Strict which was defined in a fourteenth-century document "via romeam" which ends in Pezzigno.
VIA FRANCIGENA CAMAIORE – TRACK 3
FROM PEZZIGNO TO TENERI
Way’s decription: The official route follows the path of Pezzigno then cross the provincial road and takes the dirt road that follows the left bank of the course of the river and reach the old Camaiore Molino Cerù, cited in the archival papers of the fourteenth century. Then touches the artificial lake of Tender and then get to the center of Camaiore. The historical route (in red on the map) continues along the current provincial road there is on the right the Chapel of SS. Crucifix of the seventeenth century, built on the site where in the fourteenth century was the S hospital, Lazarus before the adjacent Franciscan convent of the seventeenth century with adjoining church dedicated to the Immaculate Conception and San Lazzaro.
The historic route ends in the center of Camaiore through the provincial old, now Via Cesare Battisti.
VIA FRANCIGENA CAMAIORE - TRACK 4
CAMAIORE CENTRO - BADIA DI CAMAIORE
Way’s decription: The route of the Francigena in the historic center follows the path of the Nuns (now Via IV Novembre), which leads us right on the Piazzetta Diaz, where is the church of St. Michael of the twelfth century, near which it was recently found a small ancient church of the ninth century, whose area became in the Middle Ages a cemetery area. In front of the church of St. Michael there is also an important museum of Sacred Art. And here it was born the first village of Camaiore (XXVII STAGE of Sigeric trip) along the Via Francigena or Romea. The ancient village we find it mentioned in 984, and in the thirteenth century was expanded with a terranuova project and definitively clubby on the late fourteenth century. On the central square is instead recommended a visit to the Church of Santa Maria Assunta (Collegiate) of the thirteenth century and not far from it, on the north side, there are the remains of St. Peter's door or Lombricese well as the city walls demolished in large part in the nineteenth century with its large perimeter 1470 meters enclosed and defended the village of Camaiore. At about 300 meters from the center of Camaiore there is the impressive Church of the Badia di Camaiore originally included in the Benedictine monastery of St. Peter, mentioned in a document of 761. Of the monastery are preserved stretches of the walls and majestic entrance door in addition to traces of the chiostrale. Inside the church, remarkable frescoes on the first two places to the left of the columns that depict St. Mary of Egypt, and the SS. Piety both of the fourteenth century and of the school of Giotto (on the latter was built against a white marble altar of the XVII century). In back of the church there is a large type of Bach's organ, manufactured by Mascioni, a reference point of an International Organ Festival.
VIA FRANCIGENA CAMAIORE - TRACK 5
FROM CAMAIORE TO MOLIN BIANCO
Way’s decription: For a short track it coincides with the historical path and from the Badia of Camaiore it goes along the Via Roma (former provincial) until meeting after about one kilometer the Oratory of San Rocco, near which stood in the fourteenth century, the old hospital owned by the nuns of the Monastery of St. Martin of Gello. From here it is possible, following the road that passes under an arch next to the church, reach for a short visit (historic route) the parish church of S. Stefano di Camaiore. This Pieve, mentioned already in the year 817, had under him nine villages included in the current territory of Camaiore and from which it took the charge of the tithe (a tenth of the crops). The construction has been, over the centuries, remodeled several times though still retains the simple architectural lines of the Romanesque. Inside it preserves a beautiful Roman sarcophagus and a valuable painting by Battista di Pisa of the fifteenth century. Continuing from the church of San Rocco, on the official route, you come to the village of Tori (sports facilities) which leads us on the path called “Delle Gore” on which overlook several mills (mills and mills) placed on the creek Lucese. Before Pontemazzori meet two interesting mills, the first is the Molin Bianco near Marignana which was owned by the Pieve di Camaiore existing since the fourteenth century, and the second oil Frantoio Orsucci also mentioned since the fourteenth century.
VIA FRANCIGENA CAMAIORE - TRACK 6
FROM PONTEMAZZORI TO MONTEMAGNO
Way’s decription: From the church of Pontemazzori the official route continues towards Montemagno following the "Via Vecchia" lapping the Villa Dei Trenta today Giannini. The noble family from Lucca of “Dei Trenta” has been already resident in the hamlet of Camaiore since the end of the sixteenth century. From here we climb a sudden steep slope which leads to the famous oak, almost millennial, Montemagno.
The historic route has instead two variants. The first, which leads up to Nocchi, to go up, after the church of St. Peter cited in the year 820, from the route of Friano, also called "Via Romana" and whose antiquity is attested by some archaeological refinds. This route allows us to reach the current Via Provincial Montemagno. The second starting from Pontemazzori following the path of Biseste that until the '20s was used as a royal road to Lucca, and even the latter takes us on the provincial road to Montemagno.
VIA FRANCIGENA CAMAIORE - TRACK 7
FROM MONTEMAGNO TO PIOPPETTI
Way’s decription: It starts from Leccio Montemagno and leads into the road that runs along the north side of the Church of San Michele di Montemagno, remembered in the year 1129 and where there was also an ancient and namesake hospital for the poor and pilgrims. From Montemagno church comes off a path that conduce us to Montemagno Castle, existing since the year 1099 (privately owned but visible from the path) of which remain the ruins of the mighty walls and the stately building with an adjacent water tower over the facade of the church of S. Bartolomeo. It belonged to one of the dominant feudal Versilia’s families that documents remind us as "noble Montemagno". The church shows few traces of the original structure and many interventions have been made over the centuries. The official route from chies of Montemagno rises following the way of Frascalino and with an exposed section restored by project of the Province of Lucca and it reaches Pioppetti.
The historic track: continues from the Church of Montemagno and reaches with a track mostly straight the way of Freddana or Via Provincialuntil the village of Campacci near the town Pioppetti, those who want to continue on this track will have to pay attention to veicolar traffic.
VIA FRANCIGENA CAMAIORE - TRACK 8
FROM PIOPPETTI TO CAMPACCI
Way’s decription: The official route follows the historical path and continues from the town of La Rena onto the provincial road, then on the left a small group of houses where there's an ancient spring and continues until the detour that detaching from the Provinciale will lead us to the locality of the Purgatorio (old track of via Francigena) where there was the female hermitage of Santa Maria, quoted since 1260 as the "Romitorium de Piscopania". No trace remained of the small monastery and on the site has been placed in memory a chapel. From the Purgatorio the road enters againg on the provincial leaving the old stretch and comes to the location of Campacci.
VIA FRANCIGENA CAMAIORE - TRACK 9
FROM CAMPACCI TO VIA DELLE GAVINE
Way’s decription: It begins from the locality of the Campacci arrives later at the village of Valpromaro (fromValle Primaria), divided between the towns of Camaiore and Massarosa, following the historic route. Almost in the center of town there is the ancient church of San Martino of Valpromaro cited in 1121, at the side of which stood the ancient pilgrims' hospice. An interesting document of 1101 attests the presence of the "way Romeam" in Valpromaro. After crossing the village of Valpromaro and the Malandrone Bridge, the old route goes from Via Vecchia of Gore which finds in a few kilometers further the Via Gavine which leads to Piazzano, retracing part of the historic route.
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