Filettole is a town on the Serchio River. It represents the border between province of

Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) 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 the Leaning Tow ...

and province of

Lucca Città di 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 of Lucca, province has a population of 383,9 ...

. Its castle had a defensive function against the

Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...

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

Greek language Greek (, ; , ) is an Indo-European languages, Indo-European language, constituting an independent Hellenic languages, Hellenic branch within the Indo-European language family. It is native to Greece, Cyprus, Italy (in Calabria and Salento), south ...

. 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 () 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 surrounding countryside in th ...

, 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 (; ) was an Italian monarchy located in Central Italy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1860, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In the 19th century the population ...

. 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 Ma ...

. 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