Historic

Castagneto Carducci is situated on a hill near to the sea.
The origins of this town hail back to the last of the Longobards, however many traces of the Etruscans and the Romans have been found in this area.

The Castle of Castagneto passed from the Longobards to the powerful counts of Donoratico one of which was Gherardo, who gave his name to the Gherardesque family.

To reward the Pisans for their help during the conquest of Southern Italy the emperor Arrigo VII gave them all the castles in the area and, thanks to the friendship that united the Gherardesque to the Pisan Republic, Castagneto grew in importance.

The history of Castagneto is bursting with legends, like that of the discovery of the cross of Saint Colombano.
This splendid wooden cross, of the Pisan school of the XII/XIII century, was found intact in the ruins of the Agostiniani and carried in solemn procession to the oratory of the Society of the Holy Sacrament, where it can still be found today.

In 1345 the castle was reinforced with a tower, and in 1405 it passed from the exhausted Pisan Republic to the Florentine Republic to build, in 1408, the castles of Donoratico, Bolghieri, and Bibbona and the Captaincy of Campiglia.
This began the long struggle for freedom from the Gherardesque counts that lasted until 1849 when a last compromise between the town authorities and Count Guido Alberto served to calm the rebellious population.
Michele Carducci, father of Giosuè, was one of these civilians, who arrived on 28 October 1838 with his family.