San Giuliano Terme | Pugnano

Pugnano is located along the old Lungomonte road connecting Pisa and Lucca. The first attestation of the locality dates back to the 10th century, although finds from Roman times have been discovered in the area. Its history is inevitably linked to the frequent wars between the two rival cities until the Florentine domination. Pugnano boasts the Romanesque parish church of Santa Maria and San Giovanni, among the oldest in the province of Pisa, as well as the church of San Paolo Eremita. The latter, just outside the village, was once the church of the monastery of the same name. Rebuilt in Romanesque style, it has a single apsidal nave. Not only churches but also villas. Among them is Villa Roncioni, built in the 17th century by Antonio Roncioni as a country residence. Surrounding the building is a 50-hectare park with a bigattiera, a Gothic-style silk factory. The presence of this factory makes a visit to the park suggestive, in the middle of which the ruins of an unfinished castle and those of a neo-Gothic style chapel can be seen. The villa has hosted events in the past and was home to the Cerratelli Foundation’s collection of theatre costumes. Another interesting villa is Villa Dal Borgo, built in the early eighteenth century by Giovanni Saladino Dal Borgo. The original layout had a rectangular shape, while the current one has a U-shape, the result of an intervention carried out in the early twentieth century according to the neo-Renaissance style. The interior shows decorations on vaulted ceilings. At the back opens a garden with lemon house, a chapel and guest quarters. In Pugnano there is also Villa Poschi, built in the eighteenth century on a pre-existing building. The facade is characterized by windows profiled in pietra serena and by the large frieze on the top on which the sundial was placed (now replaced by a large clock). The villa is currently home to a restaurant and accommodation facility.