Collodi

The name of Collodi is undoubtedly famous all over the world thanks to Carlo Lorenzini (called "Collodi") who was the author of the tale of Pinocchio. In effect, the writer's mother was from this small centre set in the municipality of Pescia at the border with the provinces of Lucca and Pistoia.

Carlo Lorenzini was actually born in Florence in 1826, but he chose the pseudonym of Collodi to sign his first satirical writings, thus paying a tribute to his mother's hometown. Initially, his career as a writer was focused on journalism. After Lorenzini participated to the independence wars with Giuseppe Garibaldi, he went back to Florence and he worked for the theatre censorship. In 1875, an editor charged him with he translation of a tale by Perrault and this was when he first entered into contact with the magic world of tales, which inevitably enchanted him.
This was how Lorenzini became "Collodi", a writer of infancy tales and he published the episodes of Pinocchio's tale on a newspaper for children since 1881. Yet, he died prematurely. He suddenly passed away in 1890 and he could not fully enjoy the results and the satisfaction of his work. In the following centuries, the tale of Pinocchio was known all around the world; it was translated into dozens of languages and adapted to cinema and television.
The little town of Collodi dates to the XII century. The settlement that developed at the time was a military one since it was set in the borders between Lucca and the area under the control of the republic of Florence. Collodi is set on a small hill and it mainly throve in the Modern Age, when numerous villas rose in the surroundings and the Baroque style influenced the work of architects and artists who operated here.
In particular, the wonderful historical Garden, namely a Baroque park created in the XVII century and enriched with statues and waterworks in the following century, can be visited. In front of the Garden, the wonderful Park of Pinocchio dedicated to Collodi's tale can be visited. It was started in 1951 and also the "Paese dei Balocchi" was built near it. This is an open-air thematic path where one can experience the tale of the famous puppet and live all his vicissitudes and adventures.