Lucchio Castle

The medieval village with its castle.	The walls of the castle joined with the rocks of the mountain.

Lucchio rises along the SS12 of the Abetone and the Brennero, it is easily reachable from Lucca.

The landscape from the top of the castle.

The cliff, the stone of the medieval village and that one of the fortress fused together generate a dark image of pure Middle Ages and make of Lucchio one of the most scenographic countries the hidden Tuscany . Calling this place hidden can't be enough, coming from Lucca is nearly impossible to notice the village, carved in the stone of the mountain side turned towards Pistoia, and its castle, from this side completely fused with the rocks. Various the scene that appears for who comes from the opposite direction, passed Popiglio after a few curves of the road something of anomalous on the rocky side of the mountain will catch the attention: are the houses of Lucchio, crowned by the scarce rests of the once powerful castle.

The tortuous and tightened road that still today is necessary to cover in order to catch up lived let us understand how much was impregnable the place. A popular saying of the zone does not need any comment: the women of the place would put a bag to the tail of the hens in order to prevent to eggs to roll to valley...

The village is still today cut by narrow lanes and, after the abandonment of the last decades caused from its position and the poorness of its lands, it is slowly reborn from its ruins. Still today is dominated by the rests, unfortunately scarce, of its castle. The fortification, originary of the 11th century and growth in the feudal age, rise in one of the most strategical positions of the whole surrounding territory, and dominate the road in the bottom of the valley that follow the course of the river Lima. Its location is one of most dramatic that can be found between all the Tuscan medieval castles. Erected and dug on the pure rocks, so that in more than one point its walls are a simply an extension of the mountain, perennially swept from the wind and still today difficulty reachable - pay attention to the steep small disconnected path, only way of access - the castle of Lucchio was always object of popular legends.

Its origin is not certain, perhaps as the near village of Limano it goes back to the time of the Countess Matilde of Canossa, or as it would indicate the toponomastic of some other villages of the valley like 'Vico Pancellorum' or 'Panulegium', today Palleggio, we have to search its origin the Roman era, or simply it was a fortification of one of the many feudal families of the zone like the Suffredinghi or the Lupari or still, like other near places, was a Long Beards stronghold.
The only thing that is sure is that the town of Lucca made in the 14th century Lucchio a main point to control the borders of its territory towards Pistoia. With taken of the control of the area from part of the Florentine and the consequent lost the its strategic importance, Lucchio was abandoned and its stones used for the homes of the poor village born at its feet. The ruins are free visible, don't lost the breathtaking landscape that from here can be viewed!!