Luciana: Churches, History and Landscape

Luciana lies in the hilly landscape of Valdera and the Pisan countryside. The built-up area stretches along provincial road SP 21 Pian della Tora. Churches, villas and geological finds offer different perspectives on the town. When choosing Luciana as a destination, you can explore these themes according to your interests: sacred architecture, local history or the development of the landscape.

Churches and Architectural History

The parish church of Santa Lucia was built in 1740 on the foundations of an earlier medieval building. This makes it possible to distinguish between a specific construction date and an older architectural history in a single building. The church also contains a chapel dedicated to the Madonna del Rosario. The Chiesa della Compagnia offers a different architectural feature: its floor plan is in the shape of a Latin cross. At Santa Lucia, the focus is on the building’s history and chapel; at the Chiesa della Compagnia, it is on the shape of the floor plan. These two features offer different points of reference if you want to understand Luciana’s religious architecture.

Local History and Villas

Human presence in the area has been documented since the Bronze Age; the earliest records of Luciana date from the Middle Ages. These are different points in time: the Bronze Age concerns human presence in the area, while the Middle Ages mark the earliest records about the town. A later event was the earthquake of 1846. It caused severe damage to religious buildings and villas in Luciana and the surrounding area. The impact therefore affected several types of buildings and extended beyond Luciana into the surrounding area.

Villa Giustiniani is among Luciana’s historically significant villas and farm estates. Milestones from the nearby Via Emilia Scauri are located in the garden of Villa Melenchini. The milestones’ origins link this find to the history of the road; alongside the churches, villas and an archaeological detail related to the road are also part of the town’s history.

Landscape, Fossils and Hiking

Luciana’s geological past offers another way to explore the area. It was covered by the sea during the Pleistocene. Numerous fossils have been found here, including shells and the remains of a sperm whale. The combination of the area’s former marine coverage and its different fossil finds draws attention to its natural development. If you are more interested in nature than architectural history, this geological perspective offers a distinct point of reference.

On May 15, 2023, the Municipality of Fauglia, in collaboration with the Agorà and Cammini d’Etruria associations, organized an excursion along the Cammino d’Etruria. It followed country roads and paths through the valleys of Acciaiolo, Santo Regolo and Luciana. The estimated walking time for this excursion was around three to four hours. This approximate duration applies to this specific, dated outing.

Discover more destinations: Montescudaio, Ponsacco, Calci, Vicopisano, Pomarance, Usigliano, Vecchiano, Santa Luce

For the broader travel overview: Pisa.