Casciana Terme Lari | Lavaiano

Lavaiano is a hamlet between Lari and Ponsacco. It was once divided into two hamlets, Lavajano vecchio and nuova, which were located in the middle of a plain characterised by marshland (still called Pozzale) that was later reclaimed. The village is mentioned as far back as the year 880AD, while in 1370 it was fortified by Pisa with a fortress equipped with a moat and drawbridge to defend itself from attacks by Florence, which, however, demolished the fortress a few years later. Today, the hamlet is surrounded by agricultural plots and the presence of cottages, farms and manor houses. The parish church of San Martino houses a 17th-century painting above the choir. On the pediment of the entrance door is a coat of arms of the Order of the Knights of St. Stephen, the same one found in the Piazza dei Cavalieri in Pisa.