Filettole is a town on the

Serchio River The Serchio (; la, Auser) is the third longest river in the Italian region of Tuscany at , coming after the Arno at and the Ombrone, . By mean rate of flow, it is the second largest, smaller than Arno but larger than Ombrone. The principal so ...

. It represents the border between province of

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the ...

and province of

Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as ...

. Its castle had a defensive function against the

Lombards The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the '' History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 an ...

. It is named after "Fylakterion", which means "defensive place" in the

Greek language Greek ( el, label= Modern Greek, Ελληνικά, Elliniká, ; grc, Ἑλληνική, Hellēnikḗ) is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Italy (Calabria and Salento), southe ...

. It belonged to the Roncioni family at the end of the tenth century, and then to the Bishop of Pisa. Involver in the battles with the near

Republic of Lucca The Republic of Lucca ( it, Repubblica di Lucca) was a medieval and early modern state that was centered on the Italian city of Lucca in Tuscany, which lasted from 1160 to 1805. Its territory extended beyond the city of Lucca, reaching the surr ...

, it is bought by Gambacorti at the end of the 14th century, then acquired by the

Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany ( it, Granducato di Toscana; la, Magnus Ducatus Etruriae) was an Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In t ...

. Now it is part of

Vecchiano Vecchiano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pisa in the Italian region Tuscany, located about west of Florence and about north of Pisa. It is home to a castle, known as Gaetani or Lanfranchi castle, or as the hermitage of Santa M ...

. In 1944, soldiers of German 16th SS division "Reichsfuhrer" shot 40 people in Filettole, including Don Angelo Uniti. This dramatic episode is remembered as "la Strage del Canneto di Filettole".

References

* G. Caciagli, La provincia di Pisa, tomo 5, 2001 * W. Dolfi, Arcivescovi di Pisa, tomo 1, 2000 {{authority control Frazioni of the Province of Pisa