Sorana, Pescia, Pistoia

Above the settlement of Ponte di Sorana (Bridge of Sorana) the mouth of the valleys are formed by two branches of the river Pescia Maggiore, the Torbola and the Forfora.  The old fortifications of the village of Sorana dominates, 415 meters above sea level.  The first document to mention Sorana was in 975 and the hill at that time was called Monte Petritulo. The original settlement was an ancient fortified castle, believed to be of roman origin, originally founded by the survivors of Catilina’s army who dispersed and settled amongst these hills. Once called the ‘Rocca Sovrana’, or according to the ancient graphology of the time ‘Sourana’ which in time became corrupted to Sorana The castle of Sorana occupied an important position during the 14th Century with regard to the conflicts firstly between the cities of Lucca and Florence and then Pisa, each of whom wished to possess this strategically most important position, allowing control of this border area. Thus during the war against Lucca in 1330, Florence, which occupied Sorana, was then forced to abandon the castle, and was only able to take possession again in 1343 after having agreed the peace treaty of San Miniato with Pisa. They lost possession again in 1352 and only returned in 1362 when Pisa had practically razed the fortifications to the ground, destroying everything completely, including the parish church. In addition the inhabitants were obliged to pay a war contribution of 200 zecchini, and since they were unable to meet this demand, the 8 most important citizens were taken hostage. The war between Pisa and Florence continued until 1364, when finally peace was declared throughout the region. The Castle of Sorana returned to Florence, but they had to wait till 1371 until a more formal treaty was concluded with neighbouring Castelvecchio and Vellano. The main nucleus of the castle of Sorana was completely enclosed by a wall of which the remains are still visible, was added to with the construction of a second surrounding wall, from which opened two gates, made necessary by the spread of houses in particular to the southeast. In 1376 a new settlement was built next to the castle towards the south to accommodate refugees from the destroyed castle of Lignana. This was given the name of “Paradiso” because of the beauty of the girls who went to live there. And rather than forming another wall, the settlement was built so that the external walls of the houses themselves formed a fortification. An early mention of Sorana is with regard to the battle of Gavinana in August 1530, when Francesco Ferrucci, head of the republican militia tried to fend off the imperial forces of Charles V, was obliged to pass under the castle of Sorana, having found all other routes barred. Consequently, Sorana was subjected to an even heavier tax burden. The villagers had to send a candle weighing 8 pounds for the feast day of San Giovanni, and in the event of war had to supply an armed horseman. In 1554, the Vicar of Pescia, Brancaccio Rucellai took refuge in Sorana when the troops of Pietro Strozzi occupied Pescia. In 1565 a public school was opened in the village and a school master was appointed for a salary of 5 scudi. From 1775 the territory of Sorana was joined for administration purposes to that of Vellano, until 1929 when it was incorporated into that of Pescia. Due to increasing economic marginalisation there was a continued depopulation of the village. In 1832 there were 406 inhabitants, and today there are just under 200. As you approach the village, you notice that on the south and east elevations, vines and olives are cultivated, whereas to the west, on the flatter land, cereals are grown amongst vines. The north side is colder and covered by woodlands, mostly chestnut. Much of the countryside has been abandoned as the population has resettled elsewhere, however, at the valley bottom, along the river, the famous Sorana beans are cultivated. The village is almost circular, with steep alleys and a church at the centre. Before reaching the church of St Peter, on the left is the Oratory of St Joseph facing the church. The parish church is thought to be of roman origin, but over the years has undergone many modifications, thus losing much of its original chatacter. It was noted in the catalogue of Lucchese churches of 1260 as a Rectory under the jurisdiction of Castelvecchio. It was rebuilt and enlargened in 1595 by Domenico Pieri of Vellano in the baroque style. On the façade above the main door is a small fresco of the two patron saints of the village and the church (Saints Peter and Paul). The church has a large nave and vaulted with altars in “pietra serena”. The vault is subdivided into 4 sections with stucco decorations of leaves and flowers dating back to the beginning of the 19th century. The main altar is marble and dates back to 1879, and there is a large papier mache’ painted and gilt crucifix from the mid 19th Century. This is perhaps the work of a local artisan. Behind the main altar at the back of the choir there is a painting of the enthroned virgin with the child Jesus in her arms giving St Catherine her wedding ring, with Sts Michael, Peter and Paul nearby. This is by an unknown local artist from the first half of the 16th century. This would have been specifically commissioned for the church since it includes the village patrons and also the patron of Lignana, St Catherine Author:  David Irving, Listing: Casa Belvedere

Villages and Hill Towns bean festival, pescia, Pistoia, Sorana