Serra Pistoiese

The first mention of Serra dates back to 1040 as a stronghold of the Alberti counts of Capraia, later ceded to the Pistoia people at the end of the 13th century. The castle was destroyed in 1327 but rebuilt in a short time. Visiting the ancient village, one immediately notices the peculiarity of its urban structure, which winds along the crest of the mountain, with a road connecting the two ancient access gates still visible in the ancient walls. Inside the fortified perimeter stands the church of San Leonardo, which preserves beautiful medieval stone capitals with scenes from the Old Testament. In the bell tower, originally a watchtower, the ancient castle gate opens, surmounted by a Medici coat of arms in stone. Of particular interest is the site where the parish church of Furfalo arose, one of the oldest in the Pistoia area, whose ruins are still visible in a forest between the village of Serra and the Nievole valley, a place that for the inhabitants of the mountain has a profound sacred value, so much so that religious functions are still celebrated there today during the Easter period. [texts from the Tourism Service of the province of Pistoia]