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Abetone
Frazione
Monument in Abetone
Abetone Location of Abetone in Italy
Coordinates: 44°9′46″N 10°39′55″E
Country	Italy
Region	Tuscany
Province	Pistoia (PT)
Comune	Abetone Cutigliano
Area
• Total	31.2 km2 (12.0 sq mi)
Elevation	1,388 m (4,554 ft)
Population  (31 December 2011)
• Total	687
• Density	22/km2 (57/sq mi)
Demonym	Abetonesi
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	51021
Dialing code	0573
Website	Official website

Abetone (previously known as Boscolungo-Serrabassa), usually called L’Abetone, is a frazione (fraction) of the comune (municipality) Abetone Cutigliano, in the province of Pistoia in Tuscany.

Until December 31, 2016, it was an Italian comune of around 600 inhabitants, established following the Regio Decreto (law) num. 1297 on June 14, 1936, taking a part of the territory of the comune of Fiumalbo and also Cutigliano. On January 1, 2017, it merged into the new comune of Abetone Cutigliano. Nestled in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines, it is a popular destination both in summer and winter.

Position of Abetone (ex) comune in Pistoia region

File:Abetone-Stemma.png

Abetone – Stemma

Geography

Abetone is located in the upper Val di Lima in the Pistoia Mountains at an elevation of 4554 ft above sea level, close to the Abetone Pass on the Tuscan-Emilian border. When it was a “comune” (municipality) it was the highest comune in the region. Behind it there are the mountains Alpe Tre Potenze (6365 ft, one of the highest in Tuscany), Monte Gomito (6207 ft), Selletta (5613 ft), while to the northeast of the village is the Libro Aperto peak (6355 ft). The village is surrounded by the Abetone State Forest, and the Hydrological Services of Tuscany’s Abetone Boscolungo Meteorological Station is nearby.

·    Atmospheric diffusion: low, Ibimet CNR 2002

History

Abetone’s territory has always been (at least since the Roman empire) a pass through the Apennines, so much so that it is said it was used by Hannibal to get into Etruria. From there he took the road Via Claudia Augusta that lead from Tuscany to the Danube; Abetone’s ski resort is a part of Hannibal’s Pass at an altitude of 5899 ft above sea level.

File:Abetone 1953.jpg

L'Abetone nel 1953

The construction of the road (conceived of at the beginning of the 18th century) that connected the Grand Duchy of Tuscany to the Duchy of Modena through the Apennines began in 1766. The lowest tract called “Serrabassa” by the Modenese and “Boscolungo” by the Tuscans makes up the pass now called Abetone. The project was drafted by Pietro Giardini for the Modenese section and by Leonardo Ximenes for the Tuscan one; that road in fact became known as Via Ximeniana (today’s route 66).

To prevent second thoughts, the two States agreed to launch the road construction concurrently from their own ends. In April of 1766 they began the work, but given that a mile above Fiumalbo the snow was still at shoulder-height, the construction would start at a lower, just as the excavating tools were ready.

The first ground (for the Modenese part) was broken April 28, 1766, just above Fiumalbo and near the place known as Il Baldinare, where they built first housing and sheds for the workers and tools. Six hundred workers divided into six groups, including more than 50 stonecutters, were put to work in two different locations, while the work of the Tuscans was already underway at the ironworks of Mammiano. From there the work expanded with increasing speed toward the Tuscan border and, during the summer, also toward Modena.

White Fir tree

During the construction, they cut down a fir (abete in Italian) so large that it could not even be encircled by the wingspan of six people, giving Abetone (big fir in Italian) its name.

The road was inaugurated on May 1, 1781 and was of great importance because it connected Tuscany not just to Modena but also to Mantua and Austria. At the border, they built two stone pyramids, adorned with the coats of arms of the two duchies.

It was certainly not easy for the other side of the Cutigliano Valley and Lizzano Pistoiese to be cut off. In fact, the two border towns overlooked by the passage of the road were subjected to the downfall of trades that had kept them affluent for centuries. Cutigliano thrived again almost immediately, thanks to the spirit of adaptation of its inhabitants: they were among the first in Italy to take advantage of tourism at the beginning of the nineteenth century and to this day, the town lives on tourism. Lizzano Pistoiese, however, did not have time to recover. In 1814, an enormous landslide slowly swallowed almost the entire village. For many days one could see the bell tower as it seemed to bob on the mud, until it was completely buried.

The opening of the road created the need to populate these mountains, also to guarantee the road maintenance and services (stage stations, customs, etc.). Together with dragoons (that in shifts occupied barracks), civilians—above all, lumberjacks and people to shovel snow—arrived in Abetone.

During winter, it was necessary to shovel snow from the pass and from late spring, when the last trace of snow disappeared, until fall, the inhabitants were busy repairing the damage that the road had suffered because of the inclement weather. Women themselves were busy along with men and shared this hard labor.

The lengths of road to keep free from snow was decided together with the roadman, a kind of tax collector who subcontracted the shoveling to the mountain communities. They stipulated appropriate contracts with penalties in case of any violation.

Abetone's two pyramids

Two customs offices were created, the Modenese one in the village of Serrabassa just across from the pyramids, and the Tuscan one close to the village of Boscolungo. Near the Tuscan customs, a small church was built that gave rise to the parish of Saint Leopold (named after the Grand Duke of Tuscany).

Abetone has been a tourist destination since the mid-19th century. Among all visitors it is worth mentioning Francesca Alexander, an American woman from Boston. The daughter of a painter and a rich heiress, she would spend her summers in the Pistoiese mountains from a young age; she socialized with the local mountain people (who were often poor) and she helped them to survive. Alexander became a good friend of Beatrice di Pian degli Ontani, the illiterate shepherdess poet whose octaves amazed all the scholars of the era.

The decline of the town began with the unification of Italy and the elimination of regional borders, and was made worse by the construction of the Porrettana Railway that connected Tuscany with Emilia-Romagna.

In 1904, the areas of Abetone began to be used for skiing and the village was rediscovered as a vacation spot both in summer and winter, beginning a revival based on tourism.

Monuments and Places of Interest

Religious buildings

Chiesa di San Leopoldo (Church of San Leopoldo)

Church of San Leopoldo

The importance of this church lies especially in the circumstances of its origins. Placed at an altitude of more than 3280 ft, its construction in 1782, as a part of the architectural and engineering works that Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo had planned for this area. His efforts culminated with the construction of Abetone’s large street joining Florence to Modena designed by engineer Leonardo Ximenes.

This religious building, designed by Bernardo Fallani with simple architectural elements, established itself in a roadside context. By facilitating contact with Northern Italy and Europe, it tended to provide new routes with all the services tied to the needs of the traveler.

Monuments

Monumento Internazionale alla Pace (International Peace Monument)

Gino Terreni of Empoli made this free-standing work of cast bronze and mosaic base in 1994. The sculpture, placed near the entrance of the village’s school, depicts three young nude individuals who free the Doves of Peace. Terreni was commissioned by the Veterans Associations of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. It was inaugurated on June 4, 1994, under the aegis of the UN to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Liberation from Nazi occupation. Also present were diplomatic and military delegations from nations that had soldiers on the Gothic Line, including Germany.

Natural Areas

• Abetone Nature Reserve
• Campolino Nature Reserve

Census

The following shows residents of the comune of Abetone from 1861 to 2011, which also included the localities of Bicchiere, Cecchetto, Fontana Vaccaia, La Secchia, Le Regine, Serretto, and Val di Luce.

Demographics

Residents surveyed

Ethnicities

According to ISTAT data as of December 31, 2010, the foreign resident population was 35 people. The nationality mainly represented (based on the percentage of the total resident population) was Romanian (17; 2.44%).

Human Geography

City planning

The residential area of Abetone is made of three adjoining localities that are welded together in urban continuity: the very center of Abetone (167 residents) and the ex-districts of Boscolungo (51 residents), and also the historic core of the comune, Consuma (30 residents), today considered neighborhoods of the village.

Economy

Tourism

Winter in Abetone

Monte Gomito and Selletta lodge

Abetone is the principal center of the of the ski area of the same name, among the most important of the Northern Apennines, made up of approximately 31 miles of trails for a total of around 30 tracks, serviced by 22 ski lifts managed by the consortium Multipass.

The ski area is subdivided in 3 principal zones:

• The first zone, pointed toward the Tuscan side of Abetone consists of historic trails that are made up of Selletta and Chierroni—two easy blue (beginner) tracks that run through the forest, and Riva—a red (advanced) course that reaches altitudes of up to 3937 ft. Besides those, there are some variants that connect different tracks, like the red course Foresto that connects Selletta and Riva. The zone is serviced by an enclosed chairlift and two two-seated chairlifts.

Zeno Colò

• The second zone of trails is on the Emilian side of the comune and is composed of the three most well-known tracks in Abetone, the three Zeno—designed by the skiing champion Zeno Colò. The tracks, one black (very advanced) and two red (advanced), twist and turn through the forest from altitudes of 6200 ft to 4265 ft. The two simpler courses are Pulicchio and Stucchi, a track of medium difficulty. The machinery includes a four-seated covered chairlift, a ski lift, a ski tow, and an eight-seated cable car.

• The third zone includes the trails of Val di Luce; it consists of four principle tracks (Passo d’Annibale, Alpe delle Tre Potenze, Monte Gomito, Sprella) that are easy or medium difficulty and serviced by three four-seated chairlifts, one three-seated chairlift, and two ski tows.

Summer in Abetone

During the summer, Abetone is noted for its many summer sport options. Among these is hiking on the slope of Monte Gomito, Monte Cimone, and the moderately difficult climb on the Libro Aperto mountain. Abetone also offers mountain bike excursions, tennis, and soccer.

Administration

Quello che segue è l'elenco degli amministratori del comune di Abetone fino al 2017, anno dell'istituzione del comune di Abetone Cutigliano.

Term		Name	Party	Position
June 26, 1985	May 22, 1990	Marcello Fontana	-	Mayor
May 22, 1990	April 24, 1995	Riccardo Rastelli	Italian Communist Party, Democratic Left	Mayor
April 24, 1995	June 14, 1999	Riccardo Rastelli	Democratic Left	Mayor
June 14, 1999	June 14, 2004	Giuseppe Montagna	Center-right	Mayor
June 14, 2004	June 8, 2009	Giuseppe Montagna	Civic list	Mayor
June 8, 2009	May 26, 2014	Giampiero Danti	Civic list: united for our future	Mayor
May 26, 2014	December 31, 2016	Giampiero Danti	Civic list: united for our future	Mayor

Sports

Running

The 50 km (31 mile) Pistoia-Abetone Ultra Marathon runs through Abetone.

Skiing

Mountains in Abetone

Abetone has hosted the Women’s World Cup for alpine skiing five times (1968, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1975). Today the Tuscan competitions regularly take place at the European Cup, Carving Cup, and the famous competition “Pinocchio sugli Sci”, the international championship for kids in which groups from all over the world participate.

Cycling

Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali in 1940

The first passage of the Giro d’Italia (Tour of Italy) through Abetone happened May 28, 1928. Surprisingly, Domenico Piemontesi overtook for first place the favorite Alfredo Binda, succeeding to beat him at the finish line at the Milan final. The 1940 leg was also significant because Fausto Coppi won his first maglia rosa (pink jersey) that he then defended until the Milan final. Between the late 1940s and the beginning of the 1950s, Abetone was most frequently included in the route, and was the most repeated scene of showdowns between Coppi and Gino Bartali.

Abetone has been the finish line four times for the Tour of Italy, the first in 1954, the most recent in 2015.

Tappe del Giro d'Italia con arrivo all'Abetone
Year	Stage	Start	Mile	Stage Winner	Maglia Rosa
1954	11	Cesenatico	143	Mauro Gianneschi	Carlo Clerici
1959	3	Salsomaggiore Terme	112	Charly Gaul	Charly Gaul
2000	9	Prato	87	Francesco Casagrande	Francesco Casagrande
2015	5	La Spezia	94	Jan Polanc	Alberto Contador

Soccer

The soccer team that competes in First Category (2008-2009 season) is called Appennino Pistoiese born of the fusion of four teams of the comunes of Abetone, Cutigliano, San Marcello Pistoeise, and Piteglio. At the end of the 2008-2009 season, the amaranth team got into the Promozione championship, winning their round, totaling 59 points from 16 wins, 11 ties, and only 3 losses.

Other Information

In summer of 1903, like in other brief periods of his life, Giacomo Puccini spent part of his summer in Boscolungo (a hamlet 0.62 miles from Abetone). While composing Madama Butterfly, he stayed in a house (today private property) along the state route on which there is now a plaque cared for by the Comune of Abetone. To additionally commemorate the presence of Puccini in Abetone, the Comune and the Italian Association of Music Schools has held a musical event called “Puccini and His Mountains” since 2010.

Bibliography

·       E. Repetti, Historic and geographic history of Tuscany, Florence, 1843, vol. 5, p. 73.

·       N. Rauty - A.Preti, Investigations and problems for the recovery of the village, Savings Bank of Pistoia and Pescia, 1975, pp. 67

·       P. Bellucci, The story of a street. The two centuries of the Abetone pass, Abetone, Abetone Independent Agency of Vacationing and Tourism, 1980.

·       Raugeri Pasquinucci,P. and S. Zanni Abetone. History, food, lies, ed Bandecchi & Vitali, 1987

·       D. Barsanti - L. Rombai, Leonardo Ximenes. A scientist in Tuscany under the Lorraines in the Seventeenth Century, Florence, Medicean Edition, 1987.