Montecarlo, Tuscany

Montecarlo
Comune
Comune di Montecarlo
Montecarlo
Location of Montecarlo in Italy
Coordinates: 43°51′N 10°40′E / 43.850°N 10.667°E / 43.850; 10.667Coordinates: 43°51′N 10°40′E / 43.850°N 10.667°E / 43.850; 10.667
Country Italy
Region Tuscany
Province Lucca (LU)
Frazioni San Giuseppe, San Piero in Campo, San Salvatore, Turchetto
Government
 • Mayor Vittorio Fantozzi
Area
 • Total 15.67 km2 (6.05 sq mi)
Elevation 162 m (531 ft)
Population (31 March 2017)[1]
 • Total 4,397
 • Density 280/km2 (730/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Montecarlesi
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code 55015
Dialing code 0583
Website Official website
Castle (Rocca del Cerruglio) of Montecarlo.

Montecarlo is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Lucca in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) west of Florence and about 12 kilometres (7 mi) east of Lucca.

History

Fort and village Montecarlo was founded in 1333 by future Bohemian king and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV (Montecarlo in Italian means "Charles' Mountain"), who freed the nearby city of Lucca from the Pisan rule. A true settlement, however, appeared only after the Florentines destroyed the nearby castle of Vivinaia, and the authorities of the Republic of Lucca moved the population to the same hill of Charles' castle.

Montecarlo was a possession of the Republic of Florence from 1437.

Main sights

  • Church of Sant'Andrea, built in the 14th century. It dominates the village, as it is the highest building of it. This is the reason why from its foundation, it was forbidden to go up to the roof, for preventing from looking into the fortress. Just few traces of the original structure still stand, except for the crypt, because the church was rebuilt in 1783.
  • Pieve (pleban church) of San Piero in Campo, at the foot of Montecarlo's castle. The building, among the first mentioned in Early Medieval Lucchese documents, has one of the oldest bell towers in the whole diocese of Lucca. The church was completely rebuilt in the 12th century and again after the village was destroyed in the 14th century.
  • Rocca del Cerruglio
  • Teatro dei Rassicurati

Twin towns

Montecarlo is twinned with:

See also

References

  1. ↑ All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute Istat.


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