Filicaia – Local History, Chestnut Landscapes and Farro Tradition

Filicaia Between Landscape and Local History

Filicaia combines a medieval town layout with a landscape shaped by chestnut forests, farmland and extensive meadows.

Historic Centre and Historical Heritage

The Chiesa di San Rocco is the parish church of Filicaia. The medieval town layout gives the village a historic structure that differs from more recent, systematically planned settlements. Other named architectural and cultural landmarks include Villa Turri. It was built in the 19th century in the neoclassical style. Together with the medieval town layout, this creates a historical arc ranging from the historic settlement structure to 19th-century neoclassical architecture. The Monumento ai Caduti di Filicaia is also associated with several precisely documented features. Guido Cheli is named as its creator. The monument was erected in 1925 and inaugurated in November of the same year. It depicts a nude infantryman wearing a helmet and carrying a dagger, as well as an eagle at the top, and is made of locally sourced white marble. It was restored in 1978; its reinauguration took place on 5 November of the same year. The Monumento ai Caduti di Filicaia is located on Via Francesco Vecchiacchi in Filicaia.

Chestnuts, Terraces and Farro

The landscape of Filicaia is characterised by dense chestnut forests, farmland and extensive meadows. The slopes are made suitable for agriculture by terraces created by people. As a result, chestnut forests, farmland, extensive meadows and agriculturally usable slopes exist side by side in Filicaia as distinct landscape components. This combination of woodland, open spaces and cultivated slopes describes the area's character more precisely than a general reference to the Tuscan landscape. Another regional feature is the widespread cultivation of Farro in Filicaia. The Festa del Farro celebrates the rich local gastronomic tradition, particularly Farro della Garfagnana. On every evening of the event, the Festa del Farro includes live performances and musical entertainment for audiences of all ages. The focus of the festival combines the regionally widespread cultivation of Farro with a gastronomic tradition and an evening programme of events. If, when choosing your destination, you would like to take regional food culture into account alongside local history, this focus is a distinct aspect of Filicaia.

Location on a Historic Route

Filicaia extends along the SR445 della Garfagnana. The village lies beyond Il Poggio in the direction of Castelnuovo. Filicaia is also located on the Via del Volto Santo, a branch of the Via Francigena. The Via del Volto Santo is regarded as a medieval mountain route that connected Lunigiana and the Garfagnana with Lucca. For geographical orientation, the information about the road and the route should be read separately: the SR445 describes the village's location along this road, while the Via del Volto Santo describes its historical route connection; the monument, on the other hand, is located on Via Francesco Vecchiacchi. Through this route, Filicaia is connected with the landscapes of Lunigiana, the Garfagnana and Lucca. For further orientation within the selection, you can also consider [Casciana](Casciana).

For the higher-level travel overview: Camporgiano.