On Thursday, October 1 (5:00 p.m.) at the “Vallesiana” Library, an evening event will be held to discuss his historical research and his service to the Municipality of Castelfiorentino.
A commemorative event dedicated to Giovanni Parlavecchia, a passionate historian and longtime official with the Municipality of Castelfiorentino. This is the theme of the event scheduled for Thursday, October 1 (5:00 p.m.) at the “Fondo Antico” (fourth floor) of the “Vallesiana” Municipal Library in Castelfiorentino, an initiative promoted by the Municipality to also mark the donation of his books and personal archive to the Library by his widow, Laura Nocentini.
Representatives from the Castelfiorentino City Administration will participate in the event, in the presence of numerous local dignitaries and others.
The “Giovanni Parlavecchia Collection,” which is now part of the “Vallesiana” Library’s book and document holdings, consists of 1,488 books and 38 folders containing material related to press clippings (primarily selected articles of interest to him). Among the books, the focus is predominantly on local history and contemporary history, with particular attention to the years of the Fascist “Ventennio.” The folders cover various topics: politics and the history of politics, sports (with particular reference to the Juventus soccer team, of which Parlavecchia was a fan), contemporary history, and news stories.
The son of Francesco Parlavecchia (who had previously served for many years as a council member and city councilor for the Municipality of Castelfiorentino), Giovanni Parlavecchia began working for the Municipality of Castelfiorentino in the mid-1970s, first as a librarian at the “Vallesiana” and later as head of the municipality’s Culture Office. From there, he was appointed director, a position he held until 2007, the year of his retirement.
“ “The event on Thursday afternoon,” note Castelfiorentino Mayor Francesca Giannì and Councilor for Culture Franco Spina, “is not only an opportunity to present an important donation that will enrich the collection of the library where Giovanni played a central role early in his career—and which he loved immensely—but it is also a way to honor his memory and the legacy he left us.” Everything in Castelfiorentino speaks of him—from the community to the places he left his mark on—to such an extent that one can encounter his presence daily at the Teatro del Popolo, at City Hall, at the meetings of the Valdelsa Historical Society, in the hall dedicated to him at the Cambio, and in all those cultural institutions to which he gave so much. We are deeply grateful to Giovanni and his wife Laura, who made all of this possible. We know we will continue to miss him, but we are also aware that he will always be by our side, guiding us. Thank you to Sabrina Gori, Giuseppe Lombardo, and the wonderful staff at the Library for their outstanding work in bringing this new space to life. May culture always show us the way!
A man of great erudition, Giovanni published several books and essays throughout his career on libraries, popular theater, and the history of the Valdelsa and Castelfiorentino, some of which appeared in the *Miscellanea Storica della Valdelsa*, where he also served as an editor. Most recently, he edited the publication of Vittorio Niccoli’s book *Novelle gaie e bizzarre*.
Giovanni Parlavecchia passed away in February 2024, and in October 2025, the conference room at the “Cambio” Cultural Center was named in his honor.
