Sorana is a village () in the municipality of
Pescia
Pescia () is an Italian city in the province of Pistoia, Tuscany, central Italy.
It is located in a central zone between the cities Lucca and Florence, on the banks of the river of the same name.
History
Archaeological excavations have suggest ...
in the
province of Pistoia
The province of Pistoia () is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Pistoia and the province is landlocked. It has an area of and a total population of 291,788 inhabitants (as of 2015). There are 22 ''comuni'' (: ...
in
Tuscany
Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence.
Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...
, Italy.
It lies along the on the slope of
Monte Petritulo in the foothills of the
Apennine Mountains
The Apennines or Apennine Mountains ( ; or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; or – a singular with plural meaning; )Latin ''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which would be segmented ''Apenn-inus'', often used with nouns s ...
about twelve kilometers from
Montecatini Terme
Montecatini Terme (Montecatini-Terme, according to Italian National Institute of Statistics, ISTAT documentation) is an Italian ''comune'' (municipality) of inhabitants in the province of Pistoia, in the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It ...
.
In 1994, it had 300 inhabitants.
The area is known for its production of the
Sorana bean.
Sorana is one of the
Ten Castella in the local area known as the
Valleriana and nicknamed .
The other castelle are
Aramo
Aramo (, ''ʿAramo'', , ''Aramo'') is a Syrian village located in Latakia Governorate north west of the country. Aramo is just 30 km from the Mediterranean Sea. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Aramo had a population of 4 ...
,
Castelvecchio,
Fibbialla,
Medicina
Medicina ( Bolognese: ; Eastern Bolognese: ) is an Italian ''comune'' with c. 16,000 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, part of the region of Emilia-Romagna.
Name
The origins of its name (which in Italian means "medicine") are quit ...
,
Pietrabuona,
Pontito
Pontito is administratively a frazione of the comune of Pescia, in the Province of Pistoia, Tuscany.
Location and description
It is one of the localities called ''Dieci castella'' (Ten castles) of the Valleriana area, otherwise called ("Switzerla ...
,
San Quirico,
Stiappa, and
Vellano, plus an eleventh,
Lignana
Lignana is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Vercelli in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about southwest of Vercelli.
Lignana borders the following municipalities: Crova, Desana, Ronsecco, Salas ...
, which is in ruins.
The castella villages are built from
pietra serena
''Pietra serena'' is a blue-gray sandstone used extensively in Italian Renaissance, Renaissance Florence for architectural details. It is also known as Macigno stone. The material obtained at Fiesole is considered the best and is also quarried a ...
stone.
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File:Sorana (Pescia), centro storico, 05.jpg
File:Sorana (Pescia), centro storico, 04.jpg
File:Sorana (Pescia), centro storico, 02.jpg
File:Sorana, veduta 03.jpg
File:Sorana, passaggio coperto 03.jpg
File:Santi Pietro e Paolo (Sorana), centro storico 01.jpg
References
Province of Pistoia