Altopascio

Altopascio
Country	Italy
region	Tuscany
province	Lucca  (LU)
Coordinates	43 ° 49 '  N , 10 ° 41'  E Coordinates: 43 ° 49 '0 "  N , 10 ° 40' 30"  E
height	19  m slm
surface	28.5 km²
Residents	15,731 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density	552 inhabitants / km²
Post Code	55011
prefix	0583
ISTAT number	046001
Popular name	Altopascesi
Patron saint	San Jacopo (July 25th)
Website	Altopascio
Altopascio, S. Jacopo Maggiore church next to the town hall

Altopascio is an Italian municipality in the province of Lucca in Tuscany with 15,731 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2019).

geography

Altopascio lies at an altitude of 19 m above sea level in the plain of Lucca about 15 km east of the provincial capital Lucca .

The neighboring municipalities are Bientina (PI), Capannori , Castelfranco di Sotto (PI), Chiesina Uzzanese (PT), Fucecchio (FI), Montecarlo and Porcari .

history

Altopascio owned a famous hospital in the Middle Ages, on the pilgrimage route Via Francigena , which passed through a swamp area that was difficult to cross. According to a later tradition, it is said to have been founded by Mathilde von Tuszien after 1070 and owned extensive land holdings. It provided accommodation and food for the pilgrims and provided guidance and protection in the dangerous section of the route. The order of knights of St. James of Altopascio belonged to the hospital and was also called the Tau Knight after the cross on the clothing . The brotherhood that ran the hospital owned the previous building of the current church of Sant'Eligio de 'Ferrai in Rome . In the late Middle Ages, the hospital lost its importance due to draining of the swamps and political disputes. In 1773 it was closed. The church of San Jacopo Maggiore and the remains of the medieval fortifications have been preserved.

traffic

The place is on the A11 autostrada ( Autostrada Firenze-Mare ) and the Florence - Viareggio railway line .

Town twinning

Altopascio is by twinning connected to El Perelló in Catalonia (Spain) and Saint-Gilles in the Gard (France).

literature

• Frank McArdle: Altopascio: A Study in Tuscan Rural Society, 1587-1784. Cambridge University Press, first edition 1978, digital reprint 2005. ISBN 978-0-521-02307-8 (paperback)

Web links

Commons : Altopascio  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Statistiche demografiche ISTAT. Monthly population statistics of the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica , as of December 31 of 2019.

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