Pieve Di Compito: Camellias, Trails and Village History

Camellias, Village History and Trails

Pieve di Compito brings together camellias, local history and trails through forests, meadows and rural areas. If you would like to combine different interests during your trip, you will find several distinct points of interest here: an annual event, church history dating back to the Middle Ages, springs along the Via dell’Acqua and a network of trails around the Borgo delle Camelie.

Historic Sites and the Camellia Exhibition

The historic Mostra Antiche Camelie della Lucchesia takes place every year in Pieve di Compito and Sant’Andrea di Compito. It offers the opportunity to rediscover the old villages. The history of the ancient Pieve also goes back a long way: it is first documented in a charter dating from 983. The history of the Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista includes a change of location at the beginning of the 11th century. At its present site, it was built as a church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. During a pastoral visit in 1498, it was described as having a bell tower, a single-nave layout, four altars, no tabernacle and a baptismal font.

Trails through the Borgo delle Camelie Area

For walks and longer explorations, the Borgo delle Camelie trail network is a destination in its own right. It passes through Pieve di Compito and extends across approximately 20,000 square metres of forests, meadows and rural areas. The route mentioned also includes S. Andrea di Compito, Vorno, San Giusto and Ruota. The Borgo delle Camelie connects Pieve di Compito and Sant’Andrea di Compito, allowing the two places to be considered interconnected destinations within this trail network. The Via dell’Acqua provides another point of orientation. In Pieve di Compito, the L’Agostina and Ponte alle Corti springs are part of this route. This provides a connection to the landscape alongside the village and church history.

The Sentiero delle Camelie in March

Every year in March, you can walk the Sentiero delle Camelie along a route of around two hours through a largely untouched environment. Along the way, you can admire camellias of various species and colours in pots or in the gardens of the village villas. The timing is essential: this experience is explicitly associated with March and should not be understood as a year-round event or flowering guarantee. The Camellietum comprises around 1,000 camellia cultivars, including 250 named cultivars. This botanical character is complemented by the estate’s agricultural connection to Villa Orsi: it has a large olive grove with approximately 2,500 trees, producing organic oil for a select clientele.

Discover more destinations

If you would like to continue your search beyond Pieve Di Compito, you can also explore [Massa Macinaia](Massa Macinaia), [Vorno](Vorno), [San Leonardo In Treponzio](San Leonardo In Treponzio), [Lammari](Lammari), [San Gennaro](San Gennaro), [Colle Di Compito](Colle Di Compito), [Ruota](Ruota) and [Corte Polito](Corte Polito).

For the higher-level travel overview: Capannori.