Local History
Bagnolo e Piegaio are to be found on the eastern side of the Valle del Rio di Bagnolo (Bagnolo brook valley) along a line below the ridge which forms the watershed between the Minimella and the Nestore Valleys.
Evidence of the habitation of this area in the Neolithic period is provided by the recovery of flints, which would have been used in connection with water.
The name 'Bagnolo' itself and various constructions for the utilization of water further sustantiate this hypothesis.Frescucci and Gialluca both speak of a castle at Bagnolo which was supposed to have been in the possession of the 'Marchiones' but seems to have had a short life.
Architectural remains visible in what are now the ruins of an imposing 'palazzo' bear witness to existence of a settlement at Piegaio in the 10 and 15th centuries.

Architectural remains visible in what are now the ruins of an imposing 'palazzo' bear witness to existence of a settlement at Piegaio in the 10 and 15th centuries.

Bagnolo e Piegaio do not appear in Record 278, perhaps because they were counted in with Ruffignano.
In the land registry record of 1427 Bagnolo and Piegaio were counted as one and had 32 inhabitants.
This is probably the period in which they had the highest number of inhabitants and in fact in a list of churches compiled between 1410 and 1420 the church of S.Maria di Piegaio is included. This church was visited in 1583, in the course of a 'Visita Apostolica', and was then described as S.Maria Maddalena deVilla Bagnolo del Piegaio. Although not paved, it was declared to be in a decent state, but the Visitor ordered it to be paved, plastered and painted.

 

 

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