The Name

Corrilia is a late Latin word that means “place with traffic, passing-through place”.

Antelminelli is the name of the family that inherited control over the village and surrounding area from the famous condottiere Castruccio Castracani.



History
• 10th cent.: the earliest documents on Coreglia belong to the history of the Church: bishop Gherardo cedes in emphyteusis the lands of this villa – which belonged to the Parish of Loppia – to the Rolandinghi family.
• 11th-13th cent.: Coreglia binds its fate with that of Lucca, which it depends on economically and spiritually (it is under the Vicariate of San Martino), getting involved in ferocious battles between the Guelfs and the Ghibellines. Because of its strategic position it acquires importance, becoming a Vicariate in 1272.
• 1316: after a siege of 58 days, Coreglia is conquered by the condottiere Castruccio Castracani, a Ghibelline leader who in that same year became the lord of Lucca. Named duke and imperial vicar in 1327, he was the first to attempt to create a territorial seigniory in Tuscany. For this reason he aroused the interest of Machiavelli, who wrote his biography in 1520.
• 1341: Coreglia falls into the hands of the Florentines, and is won back by Francesco Castracani of the Antelminelli in 1352. In 1355 Antelminelli obtains from the emperor Charles IV the transformation of the Vicariate into a County, but the following year he is killed by the sons of Castruccio Castracani. He is succeeded by his son Niccolao, who holds the County of Coreglia until 1369, when Lucca decides to restore the old Vicariates, moving the administrative center from Coreglia to Borgo a Mozzano.
• 15th-16th cent.: apart from a brief period under Florence in the early 1400s, the castle of Coreglia remains the property of Lucca. It becomes part of the Republic of Lucca in 1438 and in 1562, because of its loyalty to the city, it is granted a constitution as a Commune, which still exists today.
• 1862: Coreglia adds to its name that of the Antelminelli, as it has long been the place of residence and seat of government of this important family.
• 1883: Carlo Vanni founds the Scuola di Disegno e Plastica (art school), the culmination of centuries of activity as figurine makers and plaster workers. Many figurine makers emigrated, spreading throughout the world this art, connected in particular to the production of statuettes for Christmas cribs.




The tower of San Michele rising above the chestnut woods

We are in the Middle Serchio Valley, the northeastern part of the province of Lucca. This corner of Tuscany, squeezed between the Apuan Alps and the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, is an enchanting area, which unites art, history and nature in perfect symbiosis.

The terracing with their vineyards and the colored fields descend down to the valley of the Serchio river, speckled with villages enveloped in the clean, pure air. The simple but beautiful parish churches, the villages and the ruins of castles are the watchful observers of the passing of time.

Rising among these villages is Coreglia. Protected by the Apennine peaks of Giovo and Rondinaio, it overlooks the Serchio valley from a cliff that turns pink at sunset, standing there for a thousand and more years, in the shadow of a tower reach toward the clouds.

Its position between woods and vineyards, the Romanesque ruins, the partly still visible fortifications built by Castruccio, the Ghibelline condottiere, and the powerful backdrop of the Apuans, make it a relic of the past - even today, now that it has become a renowned summer resort area.
There are two churches worth making a special trip to see.

The Church of S. Martino is pre-Romanesque, and is one of the oldest churches in the Lucca area. Built in the 9th century, it was enlarged in the 10th with the interior arcades, supports, capitals and the apse visible today. Further remodeling was done in the following century, while the asymmetrical façade is due to the changes made in the 16th and 17th centuries. The bell tower is from 1854.

The Church of San Michele is a true treasure chest of art, built in the 11th century next to the fortress and its tower, which was transformed into a bell tower. Inside, the pre-Romanesque ambo portraying a cow is probably the oldest pulpit support base among all the churches in the Val di Serchio. There is also a beautiful 15th-century wooden crucifix, obviously influenced by German art, and an outstanding pair of marble statues of the Blessed Virgin and the Angel of the Annunciation. The drapery of this work, sculpted in the 14th century, recalls that of the dancer by Giovanni Pisano, and could belong to the manner of Giovanni di Balduccio.

As regards civic buildings, the 16th-century urban fabric (although modified in many instances) of Coreglia includes a number of handsome edifices, such as the Town Hall, built in 1572, Palazzo Antonimi and Palazzo Vincenti. Benedetto Puccinelli, one of the greatest Italian botanists of the early 1800s, was born in Palazzo Vincenti. Dominating the upper part of the village is Palazzo Vanni, which houses the Museum of Plaster Figurines and Emigration.

The enchanting view of the Apuan Alps, silhouetted in the western sky, and fortified by that of the Apennine hills descending toward the Serchio, is a balm that soothes the pains of the world.

Not far away is the fortified village of Ghivizzano, included among the lands of Coreglia in the Early Middle Ages. It is well preserved and still retains its atmosphere of centuries past.




Local Products

The woods provide chestnuts, mushrooms, and small fruits such as strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries.

An excellent honey comes from the chestnut and acacia woods, brown “fario” trout swim in the mountain streams, and the beef of Garfagnana and the Valle del Serchio has its own distinctive mark.



Local dishes
Local specialties include all the dishes based on chestnuts, chestnut flour, and mushrooms, such as borghe (dried chestnuts boiled in milk and served hot with cream and sugar) and polenta made with chestnut flour.