Molina di Quosa is a small village in the San Giuliano Terme area.
The village inhabited since prehistoric times
Apparently, the area has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Finds at the Parignana Caves even testify to the presence of a hippopotamus tooth in the Serchio Valley. The village was certainly inhabited in Roman times, as the old road leading from Pisa to Lucca proves. Following the barbarian invasions, the population had to take refuge on Monte Pisano.
The origin of the name
The construction of the Christian monastery of San Michele Arcangelo (now disappeared) gave rise to a small settlement that developed when the construction of mills and oil mills began on the Quosa stream in the 11th and 12th centuries. Hence the name Molina di Quosa. Other mills were built in the 18th and 19th centuries, there were thirty of them. Progressively dismantled, they have unfortunately disappeared from the territory.
The villas
In Molina di Quosa is Villa Le Molina, whose construction dates back to the 16th century. Although it has undergone numerous interventions over the centuries, the structure retains a U-shaped plan that encloses the flower garden with its loggia. The interior features trompe-l’oeil in Rococo style, while the current configuration of the park dates back to the 19th century. The villa today is a venue for events and weddings. Another beautiful villa is that of the Studiati Berni family, with sober architecture and windows that follow the Mannerist taste for rusticity. It was built in the 16th century as a result of the merger of the manor house and the farmhouse.
The Panoramic Road
A scenic road leads first to the locality of Ciapino – where there is a curious little church amidst the holm oaks – and then to the locality of Romagna, sadly famous for a massacre of 69 civilians in 1944 at the hands of the Nazis. Finally, we reach the locality Quattro Venti, from where there is a splendid view as far as the islands of the Tuscan Archipelago.
Top image: ©Lorenzo Benotto – Wikimedia Commons
