The historians and geologists think that the group of the Pisan Mountains
is one of the mountainous formations most ancient of Italy. The clues most
remote of that are "the Scisti of S. Lorenzo ", ( coal permo age, about 280
million of years ) that are on the Cotrozzi mt., formed during the said
geological era Paleozoic or primary ( stones appearing also in the core of
the Apuane Alps ). In particular in the Scisti of S. Lorenzo a rich fossil
flora has been found. The type of vegetation, the amount and the level of
his development makes think of a climate decidedly tropical, hot damp, what
supported an development of flourishing forests with floras prevalently
swampy (Lycopodial and Equisetum) in wet environments and lagoon.
Subsequently the mountains became one among the few "atolls" in the
pliocenic period, when the central Italy was covered, for most from water.
Their formation would have happened, with a first lifting phase followed by
a second sinking phase, this is the because of some there lean on the plain.
Part of mountains, above all the piedmont South-west part, is constituted of
calcareous roccie, fact that it has allowed the formation of cavities become
caverns in various cases more or not extensive. To notice than for
the geological science exists a rock, called Verrucana which has really
taken the name from the Verruca mountain that one finds in the Pisan mt.
(in top rises the ruin of an ancient fortress) and that it distinguishes him
for his presence.
The mountain's anthropic presence is begun in much remote epoches in
fact, thanks to the first spelaeological explorations of the cave led by the half of the eight hundred, paleontologic and
paleo-ethnologic fossil of the superior Paleolith have been
found, ever since however the biggest frequentation, has had herself above
all to South, in the Calci zone, before the Etruscan ones, from apuani or
Ligurians, because the valley was supplied with all one what of better the
nature could still offer: shelter, water, game, woods. Later,
after the Etruscan, came Romans, what as precedents used the calcareous
stone of the Pisan Mountains to do lime, and being near of Arno
and also of the sea at that epoch, to deal in it in the Mediterranean sea, as we know from the findings of the Roman ships under the station trains
of Pisa S. Rossore. To the dawnings of the Christian cult, the zone was identified as
ideal place for the retirement and the prayer. This gave the start to the building
of various churches, orators, parishes, allowing the development of the main
country: Calci. | |
