San Cassiano

San Cassiano is not just one village, but a collection of smaller villages - or Villette - Campiglia, Cappella, Vizzata, Cembroni, Cocolaio, Livizzano, Chiesa, and Piazza. These all sit to the south of Pratofiorito, 1297m (4244 feet), whose rocky crags provide shelter during the winter months. The surrounding area, the Contronaria, includes the villages of Vetteglia, Pieve di Controne, S. Gemignano, Longoio, Mobbiano, Gombereto, and Guzzano.

The Contronaria has seen human settlement for thousands of years. Many of the surrounding villages have names derived from Roman colonies, Palleggio from Panuleius, Livizzano from Libidiano, and Vetteglia from Vettilius, and there are local legends that Hannibal and his elephants passed nearby. The first known official mention of the Contronaria was in the year 758 and of San Cassiano in 772. The parish church of San Cassiano originates from the 10th century and is built on the site of an earlier temple dedicated to Diana.

Before the arrival of roads, San Cassiano was accessed by three mule tracks, one from Ponte Serraglio, via la Madonna della Serra and Longoio, one from Ponte Vecchio, via Guzzano and Pieve di Controne, and one from Palleggio which followed an ancient pre-Roman way.

Pratofiorito dominates the landscape, and its south face is scarred by an enormous crevice, created by huge landslide in 1784 that destroyed the villette of Celle and Cerro which lay below. When viewed from the south it is possible to make out the outlines of the landslide's course further down, once fertile fields, but now mainly abandoned.

The Contronaria is, and has always been, the most populated mountain area of the Commune of Bagni di Lucca and San Cassiano its most populated village. However, like all the surrounding villages, the population has been considerably reduced by emigration, mainly since the 1950's. In the 1920's the population of San Cassiano was around 1200, reducing a little to 1000 by 1951. By the 1960's though it was down to around 700. Today there are less than 400 official residents, perhaps many less in reality, as many do not live there permanently.

Vizzata and Cappella

San Cassiano from Prato Fiorito

Prato Fiorito - Sunset