Discover Spianate: History, Museum and Local Cuisine

Spianate can be explored through its landscape, local history, architecture and local cuisine. The town developed as a rural settlement in the broad plain between Altopascio and the Cerbaie. This provides different points of interest for your trip: the Fapim Museum, with its corporate history and history of remembrance; the Church of San Michele Arcangelo; Piazza San Michele; and the Sagra della Polenda a Palle.

Museum and practical visit planning

The Fapim Museum is located at Via Chimenti 32 in Spianate di Altopascio (LU). You can visit it free of charge by prior arrangement, Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is closed on public holidays, throughout August and from December 20 to January 10.

The Fapim Museum displays more than one thousand objects: projects, prototypes, technical drawings, colour samples, work clothing and photographs, as well as political, sporting and cultural records from 1974 to the present day. In addition to the company’s history, the museum conveys the collective memory of the people connected with the company. Its scope therefore extends from concrete examples of work and development to personal and social traces.

San Michele Arcangelo and the history of the town

The first settlement core of Spianate emerged in the 15th to 16th century; the first Church of San Michele Arcangelo was built in 1494 using materials from the Benedictine monastery of San Nazario alle Cerbaie. In 1616, the church was extended and raised with the support of the municipality of Montecarlo and Grand Duke Cosimo II de’ Medici. A fire severely damaged San Michele Arcangelo in 1874; it was completely rebuilt between 1874 and 1876.

Piazza San Michele

Piazza San Michele was upgraded with new paving, renewed pavements, redesigned green spaces, reorganised parking arrangements, expanded parking areas, new public lighting and additional street furniture. The character of the town centre here is shaped by changes to the square, pathways, green areas, lighting and parking facilities.

Polenda a Palle and the August festival

The Sagra della Polenda a Palle was established in 1976 and takes place every year in August. The festival lasts fifteen days and includes music, entertainment and culinary offerings. At its centre is Polenda a Palle, the Sagra’s signature dish, served with rich sauces according to an old tradition from Lucca. For your trip planning, August therefore represents a clear seasonal focus that brings together local history and cuisine.

Zenit has also provided a new youth centre for girls and boys from the region, as well as for people of all ages.

A useful perspective for planning your trip

When choosing a hotel for your trip to Spianate, you can consider different priorities: the museum for corporate history and history of remembrance, the church and its architectural history, the redesigned piazza or the fifteen-day Sagra in August. The rural development of the plain between Altopascio and the Cerbaie, together with the themes of the museum, church architecture, piazza and Sagra, provides points of reference for choosing the location of your accommodation according to your own itinerary and desired activities for each day.

Discover more places

For another comparison with a nearby town, you can also visit Marginone.

For the overarching travel overview: Altopascio.