Coreglia Antelminelli and the Villages of the Serchio Valley

The historic center sits high above the valley floor, where the Serchio River runs between the mountains of northern Tuscany. From the village, the setting feels quite different from the broad farmland and large towns often associated with the region. Streets are compact, buildings follow the slope, and views open between rooftops toward the surrounding hills. Coreglia Antelminelli is also the name of a wider municipality. Ghivizzano and Piano di Coreglia lie lower down, closer to the valley’s roads and railway, while smaller settlements occupy the hills. That distinction matters when planning a visit: staying in the old village means a quieter setting and a climb back up from the valley. The lower settlements are more convenient for getting around, but they do not have the same hilltop character.

Coreglia’s most distinctive tradition is the making of plaster figurines. Local artisans, often called figurinai, produced small religious figures, decorative pieces and other casts. Many traveled to sell their work, and the trade became closely tied to emigration from this part of the Serchio Valley. The Museo della Figurina di Gesso e dell’Emigrazione brings those two stories together. It gives context to a craft that might otherwise be easy to overlook while walking through the village. This was not simply a local souvenir trade: for some families, making and selling figurines was a way to earn a living far from home. The museum is one of the clearest reasons to choose Coreglia over another small hill town.

A visit to Coreglia is mainly about walking the old streets, noticing the stone buildings and taking in the valley views. There is no long list of major monuments to work through. Nearby Ghivizzano adds another historic stop, with a medieval quarter and a tower associated with Castruccio Castracani, the Lucchese ruler whose family name is reflected in Coreglia Antelminelli’s name. The village works well as part of a wider trip through the Serchio Valley, where a car makes it easier to connect hillside settlements and reach walking areas. Expect a calm place rather than a resort: dining and other services are limited in the historic center, and opening hours may need checking in advance. For someone interested in small-town Tuscany, its appeal lies in the combination of a lived-in hill village, a specific craft history and easy access to a much larger mountain landscape.