Castle of Molazzana

The town of Molazzana extends on a rocky outcrop on the south-eastern side of Montealtissimo, near the confluence of the Fosso Canale di Pocesa and the Fosso Tre Canali.

The castle is situated on top of a small hill that is separated from the slope. Thanks to this position, which allows a rather extensive view of the valley, it was possible to guard a number of locations, such as Cascio, Barga and Fiattone. No trace remains, however, of the ancient city walls, replaced by newer constructions that retrace their position.

The church of San Bartolomeo does not appear within the Appraisal of the Diocese of Lucca in 1260, but in the register of tithes 1276 it is listed among the dependencies of the Pieve di Cerreto and later that of San Giovanni di Gallicano (1387). Subsequently, in 1421, the church wasunited with the church of San Jacopo di Gallicano. In 1855, because of a landslide, the church was completely destroyed except for the bell tower, and a year later it was rebuilt lower down.

Historical notes

Molazzana appears as a "site" dependent on the Pieve di San Giovanni di Gallicano from 997 and therefore still among the localities listed in the decree which the Countess Matilde issued while at Pieve Fosciana in 1105.

In 1274 the Porcaresi family, long standing "dominici loci" of Molazzana, were forced to sell all of their rights to the village to the city of Lucca and placed it in the Vicariate of Barga. To confirm this, in 1308, the village appeared in the list of the municipalities that had to show their submission by taking part in the procession of the Holy Cross. After the annexation of Barga to the City of Florence (1342), Molazzana remained part of Lucca and was made part of the Vicariate of Gallicano.

Only in 1430, after the fall of Paolo Guinigi, the people of this centre, along with other communities of the Garfagnana, decided to abandon Lucca and enter the Este State.