A new edition of Pieve di Controne

Posted on February 18, 2021 by Debra Kolkka

Ann Barsi is working on a new edition of the 2012 edition of Pieve di Controne, a book by Elio Carlotti on the history of the village. The 2012 edition, which was actually the second print, sold almost all 500 copies. The book sale proceeds help the Pieve parish and those looking for their Pieve roots.

This edition would like to include more family pages, so anyone with a story to tell is encouraged to take a page in the book. It helps to make the book more personal with individual stories of the village and interesting tales of descendants’ lives, past and present.The Family Page could be your own family story, a family tree, photos and stories of life in the village.

Here are some examples of family pages.

You can help in 3 ways, pre-order the book, buy a Family Page or donate any amount.The books will cost €25 and a Family Page is €150.

For more information please contact Ann Barsi…abarsi@verizon.net

Pieve di Controne

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Debra Kolkka

Pieve di Controne is one of my favourite villages in Bagni di Lucca. It is a little different from some of the others as it has quite a bit of flat land, rather than being perched on the side of a mountain.

There are some lovely cultivated areas.

It has an amazing church with 2 facades.

Pieve di Controne is a collection of mostly stone houses…

…with pretty gardens and fruit trees.

I am always attracted to old doors, especially green doors, and Pieve di Controne has a fine selection.

There is usually a sleepy cat or 2 in the villages.

The views from Pieve di Controne are excellent.

If you visit Bagni di Lucca take the time to visit some of the mountain villages.

Bella Bagni di Lucca in 2014

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Debra Kolkka

I visited more of the many villages that make up Bagni di Lucca in 2014. I have now been to almost all of them and there is at least one post on each.

Here are some that I visited this year to add to my collection of photos of beautiful Bagni di Lucca. If you click on the name of the village a relevant post will appear.

I went for a winter walk in Lugliano.

Montefegatesi never disappoints.

San Gemignano di Controne has pretty gardens and winding lanes.

Nearby Gombereto looked beautiful in spring.

I went for a delightful walk outside Longoio through an enchanted forest with ancient stone trails. I met some beautiful animals along the way.

Mobiano is a tiny hamlet near Longoio where I went for a summer wander.

Beautiful Crasciana beckoned from its position high above the Lima Valley.

A little further on, Crasciana Alta offers even higher views over the valley and surrounding mountains.

I drove past lofty Lucchio on my way back from a trip to Bologna. From the other side of the valley you can really see how it clings like a limpet to the side of the mountain.

Pieve di Controne is one of the prettiest of the villages. It sits peacefully on a plateau overlooking the beautiful villages beyond.

Cembroni is one of the hamlets that make up San Cassiano di Controne, once the most populated area of Bagni Di Lucca.

I look forward to continuing my visits to the villages in 2015. You can see all of those I have been to so far by clicking…The Villages

Pieve di Controne

Posted on August 8, 2014 by Debra Kolkka

Pieve di Controne is a small village in a beautiful rural setting in the Controneria area. It is 565 metres above sea level and 8 kilometres from the centre of Bagni di Lucca.

From the main road from La Villa towards San Cassiano, take the road through San Gemignano. From there you will drive through a pretty forest for one kilometre until you reach Pieve di Controne.

The parish church is dedicated to San Giovanni Battista. It was previously the church of Santo Stefano which was mentioned in a parchment in 884 AD. It was one of 28 churches founded by San Frediano.

In the 14th century there was a landslide which ruined the entrance, so another was built on the other side. Both facades are visible today, making the church very interesting indeed. It was not open the day I was there. I will return to see the stone font and the organ built in 1773 by Michelangelo Crudelli.

The bell tower was built in the 19th century and has the largest bells in the territory of Bagni di Lucca.

Few people live in Pieve di Controne today. The lucky ones who make it home have some of the best views in the area. There are lovely gardens and areas of cultivation. Come for a walk with me through the village.

I visited Pieve di Controne in late spring. I’m sure it would just as lovely in other seasons, especially autumn when the chestnut trees turn golden…I will be back.

Pieve di Controne…second edition

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Debra Kolkka

Anyone who lives in Pieve di Controne…or has visited and fallen in love with the area…or has ancestors who come from the hamlets around Bagni di Lucca, will be interested in reading the second edition of Pieve di Controne.

First published in 1971, Pievano Don Elio Carlotti tells the story of the ancient parish of Pieve di Controne from its early inhabitants in the centuries before Christ, up to the years following WWII. He shares his love of these hill towns above Bagni di Lucca, its churches, ceremonies and its people.

The second edition has Don Carlotti’s text in both Italian and English. Genealogical trees for over 50 of the parish’s families have been expanded by Ann Barsi to include ancestors from the 1600s to the present day. New to the second edition are Family Pages submitted by the descendants of the Pieve community from around the world, showing us where they are now, and how they fondly remember their Nonni from the Pieve. Photos old and new give us a closeup look at the beauty of the Pieve di Controne.

All proceeds from the sale of the book will go to help fund the repairs to the Campanile at Pieve di Controne…an excellent reason to buy it…apart from the fact that it is a great read and of interest to anyone who loves this area. At one time Ponte a Serraglio and Chifenti were part of the Plebato of Pieve di Controne.

The book is €20 and is available from Claudio Gemignani in Gombereto and Andreina Bianchi at Via Tovani 19, Fornoli.

Or email Ann Barsi at abarsi@verizon.net

Bella Bagni di Lucca

A beautiful village in Tuscany

Tag Archives: Pieve di Controne

A new edition of Pieve di Controne

Pieve di Controne

Bella Bagni di Lucca in 2014

Pieve di Controne

Pieve di Controne…second edition