Castell'anselmo Li – Village History, Landscape and Roman Traces

Castell'Anselmo is considered a small village of medieval origin. Its name recalls an old castle that controlled the routes connecting the coast with the Tuscan hinterland. For you, this opens up a place where the rural surroundings and a long local history can be experienced together in a tangible way.

Hiking between the Village and the Plain

Stage CSG-T002-V26 of the Cammino di Santa Giulia runs through Castell'Anselmo between Parrana San Martino and Località Le Badie. The section near Castell'Anselmo offers panoramic views towards the plain. Around the village, the landscape encompasses olive groves, vineyards and forests. This creates a clear connection for hikers between the trail, distant views and the landscape.

The trail passage connects a stay in the village with a landscape framed by olive groves, vineyards and forests. The view towards the plain adds a broad perspective to these surroundings and gives the section a clearly perceptible landscape character.

Roman History along the Via Emilia

The Roman mansio of Torretta Vecchia lies between the settlement of Torretta Vecchia and Castell'Anselmo on the Via Emilia. It was a Roman posting station on the ancient Via Aemilia Scauri. As a station, it connected traffic on the ancient road with supplies and accommodation. Inns, stables, lodgings, warehouses and thermal baths formed part of its facilities. For travellers interested in culture, a historic station is the focal point here.

The mansio complex includes a Roman thermal bath facility. The frigidarium was intended for cold baths; the caldarium and tepidarium were additional rooms in the thermal facility. On the Tabula Peutingeriana, the mansio was identified as Mansio Turrita. Guided tours of the mansio are offered and managed by the Associazione Culturale Gaia APS.

Church, Chapel and Village Memory

Santa Maria Assunta e San Lorenzo is located at Via Pontesantoro 8 in Castell'Anselmo. The church houses an organ built in 1831 by the organ builder Domenico Pucci of Lucca. The church and chapel are both located on Via Pontesantoro in Castell'Anselmo, but belong to different historical periods.

The old chapel on Via Pontesantoro dates approximately from the 18th century. It contains a wooden cross with carvings depicting Christian scenes and symbols, particularly those of the Passion. The wooden cross thus focuses on both figurative scenes and religious symbols.

A small building along the road through Castell'Anselmo once served as a communal oven for the entire village. As a communal oven, this structure points to an earlier everyday function within the village. The oven was intended for the whole village, not just for a single household. It therefore forms part of the history of shared provision in earlier village life.

More Destinations

For your further planning: Parrana San Giusto, Colognole, Guasticce.

Return to the main travel overview: Collesalvetti.