The ancient hospital of San Nicolao Tea stood not far from the village of Regnano, along the pass that joins the Serchio Valley with the Aulella valley. The remains of the pious place, brought to light a few years ago by archaeological excavations, are found alongside this natural passage, surrounded by a grove of leafy young oaks.

The path on which the building of worship stood was an obligatory route from the very distant past, given that the Tea pass was for centuries, perhaps for millennia, the only path of communication between Lucca and Parma. Archaeological excavations have in fact brought to light ceramic material dating back to classical times, although it is most likely that the path was used since prehistoric times.

Historical notes

The"hospitale" is mentioned for the first time in a document of 1229. Although we have little information on the following centuries, in 1470 the church structure and accommodation was still active because it was inserted in the Appraisal of the Diocese of Luni. The hospital was definitely vital in both the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance; the few times that it is mentioned in the documents, in fact, is as a structure endowed with good health. However, in the space of the sixty years following the last record of its activities, and more specifically in 1731, the Tea Hospital is documented as a ruin; it is even referred to as "Hospital of San Nicolao Undone".

Hospital of San Nicolao of Tea, Hospital of San Nicolao of Tea, general view of archaeological site