Cascina
Encyclopedia
Cascina is a comune
(municipality) in the Province of Pisa
in the Italian
region Tuscany
, located about 60 km west of Florence
and about 13 km southeast of Pisa
.
Cascina is located on the left shore of the Arno River, on a markedly plain terrain. The comune borders the following municipalities: Calcinaia
, Collesalvetti
, Crespina
, Lari, Pisa
, Pontedera
, San Giuliano Terme
, Vicopisano
.
("Small House"), or from the creek that crossed it (now disappeared), or from an Etruscan
personal name
, Latinized as Cassenius.
On July 26, 1364, the eponymous battle
between the armies of Pisa
and Florence
was fought here. The event was later reproduced by Michelangelo
in painting of which now preparatory drawings and a copy by Aristotile da Sangallo (also known as Bastiano da Sangallo
) exist. The city had in fact a strategical importance as a fortified stronghold on the main road connecting the two cities.
In locality Zambra is a 9th century church with unusual wall paintings of fish in pre-Romanesque style. At San Casciano a Settimo, a frazione with c. 3,000 inhabitants, is a basilica
, renovated in the 12th century in Pisane-Gothic
style.
The frazione of Marciana has the church of San Miniato (10th century). At Montione is the Abbey of San Savino.
and the Virgo interferometer
, one of the few facilities in the World for the search for gravitational wave
s.
with:
Umm Dreiga
, Western Sahara Sebnitz
, Germany Saliès
, France, since 2007
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
(municipality) in the Province of Pisa
Province of Pisa
The Province of Pisa is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Pisa.It has an area of 2,448 km², and a total population of 394,101 . There are 39 comuni in the province ....
in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
region Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, located about 60 km west of Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
and about 13 km southeast of Pisa
Pisa
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
.
Cascina is located on the left shore of the Arno River, on a markedly plain terrain. The comune borders the following municipalities: Calcinaia
Calcinaia
Calcinaia is a comune and town in the province of Pisa in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 50 km west of Florence and about 20 km east of Pisa....
, Collesalvetti
Collesalvetti
Collesalvetti is a comune in the Province of Livorno in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 70 km southwest of Florence, 20 km northeast of Livorno and only 16 km south from Pisa...
, Crespina
Crespina
Crespina is a comune in the Province of Pisa in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 60 km southwest of Florence and about 20 km southeast of Pisa....
, Lari, Pisa
Pisa
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
, Pontedera
Pontedera
Pontedera is an Italian industrial town in Tuscany, Italy, in the administrative province of Pisa. It is the headquarters of the Piaggio company, which in the 1930s was a major aircraft manufacturer and which now manufactures motor vehicles such as the Vespa and the Ape...
, San Giuliano Terme
San Giuliano Terme
San Giuliano Terme is a comune in the Province of Pisa in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 60 km west of Florence and about 7 km northeast of Pisa.- Main sights :...
, Vicopisano
Vicopisano
Vicopisano is a comune in the Province of Pisa in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 50 km west of Florence and about 15 km east of Pisa...
.
History
The first mention of Cascina is from a document of 750 AD. The origin of the name is uncertain, but it could derive from CasinaPavilion (structure)
In architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...
("Small House"), or from the creek that crossed it (now disappeared), or from an Etruscan
Etruscan language
The Etruscan language was spoken and written by the Etruscan civilization, in what is present-day Italy, in the ancient region of Etruria and in parts of Lombardy, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna...
personal name
Personal name
A personal name is the proper name identifying an individual person, and today usually comprises a given name bestowed at birth or at a young age plus a surname. It is nearly universal for a human to have a name; except in rare cases, for example feral children growing up in isolation, or infants...
, Latinized as Cassenius.
On July 26, 1364, the eponymous battle
Battle of Cascina
The Battle of Càscina was an engagement between Pisan and Florentine troops on 28 July 1364 near Càscina, Italy. Florence's victory followed a recent defeat to Pisan forces that had enabled mercenary John Hawkwood, who was in command of the Pisan army, to travel the Valdinievole, Prato en route to...
between the armies of Pisa
Republic of Pisa
The Republic of Pisa was a de facto independent state centered on the Tuscan city of Pisa during the late tenth and eleventh centuries. It rose to become an economic powerhouse, a commercial center whose merchants dominated Mediterranean and Italian trade for a century before being surpassed and...
and Florence
History of Florence
Florence is a major historical city in Italy, distinguished as one of the most outstanding economical, cultural, political and artistic centres in the peninsula from the late Middle Ages to the Renaissance.-Prehistoric evidence:...
was fought here. The event was later reproduced by Michelangelo
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
in painting of which now preparatory drawings and a copy by Aristotile da Sangallo (also known as Bastiano da Sangallo
Bastiano da Sangallo
Bastiano da Sangallo was an Italian sculptor and painter of the Renaissance period, active mainly in Tuscany. He was a nephew of Giuliano da Sangallo and Antonio da Sangallo the Elder. He is usually known as Aristotile, a nickname he received from his air of sententious gravity...
) exist. The city had in fact a strategical importance as a fortified stronghold on the main road connecting the two cities.
Main sights
- Medieval walls
- Castle of Ripoli
- Pieve di Santa Maria
- Oratorio di San Giovanni
- Church of the Madonna dell'Acqua (Madonna of the Water)
- Parish church of Saints Ippolito and Cassiano
In locality Zambra is a 9th century church with unusual wall paintings of fish in pre-Romanesque style. At San Casciano a Settimo, a frazione with c. 3,000 inhabitants, is a basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
, renovated in the 12th century in Pisane-Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style.
The frazione of Marciana has the church of San Miniato (10th century). At Montione is the Abbey of San Savino.
Science
Cascina is home to the European Gravitational ObservatoryEuropean Gravitational Observatory
The European Gravitational Observatory or EGO is located in the countryside near Pisa in the Comune of Cascina. In order to ensure the long term scientific exploitation of the VIRGO interferometric antenna for gravitational waves detection as well as to foster European collaboration in this...
and the Virgo interferometer
Virgo interferometer
The Virgo is a gravitational wave detector in Italy, which commenced operations in 2007. It is one of a handful of the world's major experiments working towards the observation of gravitational waves....
, one of the few facilities in the World for the search for gravitational wave
Gravitational wave
In physics, gravitational waves are theoretical ripples in the curvature of spacetime which propagates as a wave, traveling outward from the source. Predicted to exist by Albert Einstein in 1916 on the basis of his theory of general relativity, gravitational waves theoretically transport energy as...
s.
Twin towns - Sister cities
Cascina is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
Umm Dreiga
Umm Dreiga
Umm Dreiga is an oasis town in the Río de Oro area of Western Sahara.It served as a shelter & improvisated refugee camp for Sahrawi refugees in late 1975 and early 1976, after the Moroccan and Mauritanian annexation of Western Sahara . In February 1976, the Moroccan Air Force used napalm and...
, Western Sahara Sebnitz
Sebnitz
Sebnitz is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany.- Geography :The town of Sebnitz lies in the valley of the River Sebnitz and its side valleys between 250 and 460 m above sea level between the mountains of Saxon Switzerland and the Lusatian...
, Germany Saliès
Saliès
Saliès is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.-References:*...
, France, since 2007