Fosciandora and Ceserana

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It seems the Lunardi / Leonardi family may have come from the area of Fosciandora and Ceserana sometime in the 1600’s. Fosciandora is a border area between Tuscany and Emilia, between Garfagnana and Lucca. The territory has a lot of fortifications built in the time by the Longobardi, Lucchesi, the Este of Ferrara, Modenesi, Massa and Pisa. A main point testimony is the Fortress of Ceserana.

FOSCIANDORA

From:
http://www.luccatourist.it/garfedile/comuni/fosciand/foscian.htm
The territory of the community of Fosciandora extends for approximately 20 kmq on the left bank of the Serchio River, in high in the Alps Apuane. Format,. The area has fice lively and historical townships.

It was part of the lucchese dominion, in 1451 it was object of a division with which Lucca kept the centers of Lupinaia, Riana and Treppignana while with Florence remained Migliano, Fosciandora and Ceserana. Subsequently the the territory was reconstituted in 1846 with the creation of the common one of Fosciandora.

Still today this center maintains its medieval character from the castle, the church and the tower. Interesting and close by are the Sanctuary of Migliano, the Church of S. Peter to Lupinaia and San Andrea in Ceserana that contains the statues of S. Andrea and S. Giacomo (Saints Andrew and James).

The facade in stone of the church of S. Peter extension the signs of the restoration happened after the earthquake of 1920, when one statuetta of the titular saint was placed over the portale. The inside, to one navata with ceiling to capriate lignee, has windows and openings with a decoration of geometric type that it frames to them. The lateral altars of the six hundred are in carved wood and painted and, to the center of the advanced part, Delivery of the keys to Saint Peter “of first the 1600’s is conserved the burlap”.

From Raffaello Raffaelli – geographic Description historical economic of the Garfagnana – Lucca, 1879, a computerized translation from
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=ceserana

ET Ecclesiam S. Andreae, cum omnibus to eam pertinentibus; from the description of the churches for Tenth of the Crusade of 1260, in which law: Ecclesia S. Andreae de Ceserana must give Libras 100; and from other documents.

It turns out but from memories and ancient traditions that before 1200 a church existed not a lot over to walls of the Fortress of Ceserana in the locality dictates Ortomaggi; and it is to think itself with much probability that was this the primitiva Parochial church under the title it of S. Andrea; and that one of Saint Maria di Ceserana was puts into effect it them of the Villa, but much more small, like vedesi from its construction made in two various ages; much more being much probable one that the Lands of Ceserana and the Villa formed a single country.

Therefore the rinunzie that the Clergyman Federico d’ Agnino emitted 24 March 1479 of the Benefizio Cured ch’ eragli be conferred in the year 1467 of S. Maria de Ceserana cum adnexis ecclesiis sine cure S. Andreae, ET S. Michaelis de Migliano Ceseranae, must be thought were Benefizi simple or cure ch’ existed in said churches to you, but always employee from the Parish priest of Ceserana.

In 1474 those inhabitants with means of the General Commissioner of the Garfagnana, Lippo Boccamaggiori, resorted to Borso d’ Este asking to be able themselves to be worth of the church of S. Andrea, ch’ were within the Ròcca di Ceserana, in order to hear the putting to you, to bury the defunct ones to you, to christen and to celebrate to you every other parochial function to you. The Duca with rescritto of 6 August of that year answered to be its will that the men of Ceserana costruissero a wall in order to divide to the Fortress from the church, as well as that between one and the other were free the income to the same church, and moreover carried out all how much was necessary for the emergency of the Rócca, to second of the dispositions that the aforesaid General Commissioner would give. Such a decree then also was later on confirmed from the Duchi Ercole 10 March of 1505; Alfonso II in 1534; Ercole II in 1561; and from Cesar in 1606.

In year 1474 also it was come to an agreement to same the Christening font, as a result of the question made some from the Community. From that age it is outside of every doubt that the church of the Rócca became the Parochial one, which probably the title it of S. was conserved Andrea.

We will now pass to say like when Migliano it became Parish, and Ceserana and the Villa passed branches.

A lot before century XV existed, in the opened campaign, much distant from the countries, in the called place Migliano, an Oratory

Raffaelli – Fosciandora – pag.26  

To the SEARCH Of the ROOTS And the HISTORY
From http://www.buffardello.it/Documenti/Ceserana.htm

The plan is localized in the territory of Ceserana in Common of Fosciandora. The first news of the country goes back to the 1100 d.c.. has had in some periods meaningful un?importanza, sight its positioning of border between the Extensive dominions, Lucchesi and Fiorentini. For this reason it was equipped of a sturdy fortification and sovente to the center of wars, battles was found and skirmishes.

Ceserana, with to other villages of the Garfagnana was only delivered to the Extensive ones in according to time; for this it did not come subjected to one of the Vicarie already existing (Trassilico, Castelnuovo and Camporgiano), but it contributed to form of a quarter, that one of the New Lands, of which Ceserana it was capoluogo. It developed also a modest activity of working of the iron, sure smaller regarding those of Fornovolasco and Saint Isola, of which unfortunately at the moment it does not seem are remained traces.

For some periods it was one of the centers of greater importance of Goes them, then has gone slowly declining, until losing also the title of the Common one.

Finally of sure relief it is also the presence of an immense relative popular oral literature to the inhabitants of Ceserana, than in the centuries it passes to you were known in the countries limitrofi for some they storielle or goffaggini. Such particularitity already has been in these years object of study, carrying to the acquaintance of other European Italian villages and where similar history were narrated.

The Plan, than places l?obiettivo of riscoperta and of I throw again of the role of Ceserana, will have pluriennale duration; it will be able to extend also to the villages that in past were subject to Ceserana (the Villa, Migliano and Fosciandora to you) and will have to be possibly put into effect searching the collaboration of Agencies and other associations.

Note concerning the coat of arms for Fosciandora which appears on the flag:

COAT OF ARMS. Of sky, to the mountain to the natural one, trimmed from a silver flower, fogliato of 5. In the coat of arms of the community of Foscíandora figure a flower, locally interpreted like a giglio in virtue of its color. In the inferior part a covered mount of green and white top is represented, obvious reference to the wooded nature of the territory.

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