With most of Italy still in the red zone the chances of far-flung sightseeing trips are non-existent. However, many local places of interest can happily be included on our exercise walks in the comune of Bagni di Lucca.

The other day I walked to the hamlet of Pieve di Controni situated at the end of a spur projecting into the Lima valley. The hamlet is built around the church of Santo Stefano di Bargi and consists of two very picturesque sections, each with some quite fine houses.

One section is above the church.

The other spreads below it.

The hamlet’s parish church

The interior has a nave with two aisles. There is a stone baptismal font of medieval origin and an organ by Michelangelo Crudeli from 1774. You can find photos of these beautiful features in my post at:

In front of the Pieve is the hamlet’s original cemetery. It still retains a few tombstones including one, now practically unreadable, of a local priest who did missionary work in Mesopotamia, now Iraq.

It also contains the hamlet’s war memorial.

The number of local dead who gave their lives in two world conflicts from such a tiny place is harrowing; especially regarding the number who perished in the disastrous Russian campaign.

The new cemetery is at:

The bell tower was built at the end of the 19th century. I describe my precipitous climb up the tower at:

Because of its location at the end of a long spur the Pieve enjoys spectacular views both up and down the Lima valley.

We are so lucky to be able to exercise ourselves in such picturesque surroundings. I just hope the claustrophobic existence so many inhabitants have to experience in Italy’s cities as a result of the pandemic won’t have to last very much longer.

However, the Pieve di Controni’s memorials to its dead reminds us all that we are still very far from being out of the woods in the present world health crisis: