Larciano in Tuscany

The town of Larciano is in the province of Pistoia and has a population of about 6,000 inhabitants. Here, its homonym castle that houses a small Archaeological Museum on the inside. The story of Larciano has always depended upon this fortress.

The castle of Larciano was first mentioned as a feud of the counts Guidi in the X century. This powerful feudal seigniory reiterated its dominion as it can be inferred from the imperial diplomas issued by Henry IV and Frederick II. In 1225, the free city-state of Pistoia bought Larciano together with Cecina, Casi and Collecchio and it became one of the most important defensive bastions in the Western slope of Montalbano controlled by Pistoia.
In 1302, the Florentine Guelfs, who were fighting against the Ghibellines from Pistoia, had already occupied the town. In 1310, therefore, Pistoia was obliged to buy the castle again. In 1391, despite Florence and Pistoia were allied already, the strategic and military importance of the fortress further developed. In effect, in this period, Larciano had to intervene between Tuscany, that the Republic was dominating, and the troops from Milan sent by Galeazzo Visconti.
When in 1401 the whole countryside of Pistoia had definitively been integrated inside the borders of the Florentine Republic, Larciano became the seat of one of the four town halls the territory was divided into. Later, it was incorporated into Serravalle that became the only town hall with a territorial reorganization settled by the Grand Duke Leopold of Lorraine in 1772. Still in the frame of these reforms, the "comunitas" of Lamporecchio was born and also Larciano, that obtained its definitive autonomy in 1897, only, was encompassed here. The modern town includes Larciano Castello and San Rocco (the seat of the town hall), the villages of Biagiotti, Biccimurri Castelmartini and Cecina.