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28-507: Rigali is an Italian surname. It appears to have originated in the vicinity of Barga . Notable people include: Barga, Tuscany In the 9th century, Barga is mentioned as a family feud of the Lombard family of Rolandinghi. In the 11th century, Barga obtained from Matilda of Tuscany broad privileges including tax exemptions. However, formally Barga was still subordinate to Lucca . When Matilda died, she left all her properties, including

56-491: A garden gnome from an unknowing person's lawn and then send the owner photos of the gnome and sometimes cryptic messages that were supposedly written by the gnome for a time as a practical joke before returning it. A notable instance of the travelling gnome prank was arguably in 2005 when a group of college students took a garden gnome, dubbed "Gnome Severson" in news, from a property in Redmond, Washington , U.S. and brought it on

84-431: A number of criminal incidents in which individuals or groups steal large numbers of garden gnomes without the intention of returning, often with the purported mission of "freeing" gnomes and "returning them to the wild". These crimes can cause distress to the victims of the theft, particularly if the gnomes have sentimental value. France's Garden Gnome Liberation Front (French: Front de libération des nains de jardin )

112-482: A period of several years. In 1998, the Garden Gnome Liberation Front made headlines again when they staged a "mass suicide" of gnomes by hanging 11 garden gnomes with nooses around their necks under a bridge at Briey in northeastern France with a note that stated, "When you read these few words we will no longer be part of your selfish world, where we serve merely as pretty decorations." The Front

140-412: A postcard from Eastbourne purportedly sent by that gnome (episode 3855). The prank was further popularized by the film Amélie (2001) in which the main character persuaded her father to follow his dream of touring the world by stealing his garden gnome and having an air hostess friend send pictures of it from all over the world. The travelling gnome theme later became the basis for Travelocity 's " Where

168-461: A rented hut on the outskirts of Barga, using a manual typewriter bought in the town. One of the novel's main characters has the family name "Barga" as a homage to the town. Main sights include: In 1991 the local sports centre named "Il Ciocco" hosted the second edition of UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships . Garden Gnome Liberation Front The travelling gnome or roaming gnome

196-455: A roadtrip to California and Nevada . Gnome Severson became a national news story after the group ran into socialite Paris Hilton at a gas station, who posed for a picture with the gnome that was printed in People magazine. At the end of the week-long trip, the friends anonymously returned the gnome to its owner's front porch with a photo album titled "Gnome’s Spring Break 2005", which included

224-428: Is a garden gnome lawn ornament brought on a trip and photographed in front of famous landmarks. The practice is called gnoming . Some instances have become national and international news stories, where people have stolen a garden gnome from a garden, and then sent the owner photos of the gnome for a period of time as a practical joke, before returning it. The Garden Gnomes Liberation Front  [ fr ] that

252-594: Is born in 1997 in Alençon, France, aiming to release garden gnomes in their "natural habitat", for instance forests. In 2006 they claimed 165 active groups in France, Canada, Germany , Spain , and the United States, and became known to the public in the 1990s when they took credit for the theft of hundreds of garden gnomes around France. In 1997, their ringleader was sent to prison and fined for stealing over 150 garden gnomes over

280-785: Is my Gnome? " advertising campaign. The short fantasy story "The Garden Gnome Freedom Front" (2005) by Laura Frankos , published in The Enchanter Completed: A Tribute Anthology for L. Sprague de Camp , deals with the supernatural aspect of this custom. The travelling gnome has appeared in several video games. For example, it has been used as a recurring Easter egg in The Sims computer game series, such as Sim City 3 (1999) and The Sims 3 (2009) where different varieties of garden gnomes appear and move or change position daily and in Sim City 4 (2004), in which gnomes reveal themselves in

308-678: Is possible to participate in a Sagra every night. In Barga itself, there is the "Cena in Vignola" in the vineyard below the Duomo, and in August the "Sagra del pesce e Patate" (Fish and Chips festival) in celebration of the Scottish connection. At nearby San Pietro in Campo, there is the "Sagra del Maiale" (Pork), at Filecchio the "Sagra della Polenta e Ucelli" (originally small wild birds, now pheasant), at Fornaci di Barga

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336-644: The Brittany region of France. In 2018, Louisville Metro Police Department arrested Barton E. Bishop (commonly known as "Gnome bandit"), a Highlands, Georgia thief who was responsible for stealing garden gnomes among other valuables from people's porches. The travelling gnome prank was a subplot on the British soap Coronation Street in May 1995, when the Wiltons first noticed their gnome missing (episode 3853) and then received

364-556: The "1°Maggio expo". The Italian Touring Club has recently assigned the "orange flag" of the " I Borghi più belli d'Italia " ("Best Villages of Italy"), a distinguished sign recognizing the peculiarity of its beauty and of its quality. Since 1999, Barga has also been the home of the "European Gnome Sanctuary" run by the Garden Gnome Liberation Front . The frazione of Castelvecchio Pascoli was home to one of Italy's 19th-century poet Giovanni Pascoli . In 2008, Barga became

392-583: The 10th century was the site of a castle protecting the town. Pania della Croce , a mountain of the Apuan Alps , dominates the surrounding chestnut trees, grape vines and olive groves. Barga is named, "The most Scottish town in Italy," because at the end of the 19th century a number of Italians from the town immigrated to Scotland. There were many returnees over the years and now up to 40% of present-day residents have Scottish relatives. An iconic red telephone box from

420-587: The Serchio Valley, to the Church, which was not a popular decision, causing a war. Despite the war, Barga was not looted, apparently because of the presence of the nuncius sent to the valley by the Pope Gregory IX . As the result of the war, the diocese of Lucca was abolished and split between several parties, including Pisa . Barga took advantage of it, and in the 13th century helped Pisa against Lucca, but in 1236

448-515: The UK was gifted to the people of Barga and placed in the town centre, where it now operates as a book exchange, dubbed "the smallest library in Tuscany". There is an annual international opera festival, called " Opera Barga Festival ", and a long-running and very successful jazz festival, " Bargajazz ". Recently, Barga has become the home of many painters, including John Bellany who exhibit their work in some of

476-482: The first medieval historic centre in Italy to be mapped and equipped with QR codes (2D barcodes) for all of the churches, palazzo statues, restaurants, bars and places of interest. After a two-year trial, the project was released to the public in December 2010 under the name iBarga, allowing visitors to get up-to-date information about the city on their phones. The British writer Len Deighton wrote his novel SS-GB at

504-440: The game's buildable landmarks. In The Sims 4: Seasons , the garden gnomes are randomly spawned during various holidays with the player's task is to appease them with various stuff, including coffee, fruitcake pie, salad, toy or future cube. In the video game Half-Life 2: Episode Two (2007), players receive a special achievement award for launching a garden gnome into outer space in a rocket after carrying it throughout most of

532-622: The hydraulic power of the nearby creeks. In the Middle Ages, Lucca and Pisa battled frequently to conquer the wealthy town and the surrounding territory, and for a time Barga was part of the Florentine dominion, later Duchy and Grand Duchy of Tuscany . Between 1331 and 1859 Albiano owed its allegiance to the Florentine State. It became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. Since 1923 Barga is part of

560-422: The issue of People and other pictures of the gnome around Hollywood , San Francisco , and Las Vegas . The owner, who had not even noticed the gnome was missing until she found it returned on her porch, was interviewed on Good Morning America . According to ABC News, the owner decided to auction the gnome on eBay , which sold with the photo album for US$ 360 in May 2005, because she became tired of all of

588-530: The media attention. However, in February 2006, it was reported that the gnome had actually been secretly purchased on eBay by the owner's friends who continued to take photos of it around the world in locations such as Canada , Mexico , Italy , and Thailand . After it was returned for the second time, the original owner, referring to it as "the prodigal gnome", said she had decided to keep it and would not sell it on eBay again. In 2016, an ASDA Gnome named Gnorman

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616-628: The province of Lucca. The region was part of the Gothic Line in World War II , and was the scene of fierce fighting between the Allies and Germans from October 1944 until April 1945, especially during the Battle of Garfagnana at the end of December 1944. Barga lies 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of the provincial capital, Lucca . It is overlooked by the village of Albiano , a località of Barga, which in

644-401: The small galleries within the castle walls. The "Sagra" is a feature of Italian rural culture: communal meals for several hundred people, eaten in the open air, often in orchards, vineyards or sports grounds. Originally religious celebrations, they are now often used to raise funds for local causes. Each town and village will have its own peculiar Sagr. Around Barga from July to September, it

672-523: Was created in France was a community that considered gnoming to be stealing garden gnomes from other people's property, without the intention of returning them, as part of their purported mission to "free" gnomes and "return them to the wild", which has sometimes led to criminal charges, jail time, or fines. The concept of the travelling gnome dates back to the 1970s when Henry Sunderland photographed his own garden gnomes, which he named Harry and Charlie, while he

700-502: Was finally subordinated to Lucca. After these events, Barga developed as an important trade city which had connections with Modena over mountain roads. The city grew as a castle surrounded by a line of walls, of which two gates ( Porta Reale and Porta Macchiaia ) have survived. The town was well known during the Middle Ages for the manufacture of silk threads which were exported to major centres such as Florence , its mills powered by

728-466: Was in the news again in 2000 when they stole 20 gnomes overnight from a garden exhibition in Paris , and they were suspected in 2006, when 80 gnomes were stolen in the central Limousin region of France under a banner that said "gnome mistreated, gnome liberated". In 2008, a 53-year-old man, who law enforcement officials believed acted alone, was arrested on suspicion of stealing as many as 170 garden gnomes in

756-534: Was stolen from its owner in Luton, England . The perpetrator sent him a letter stating "Goodbyes are not forever, Goodbyes are not the end, They simply mean I‘ll miss you, Until we meet again.", and then continued to taunt him by making a Facebook profile in the Gnome's name then followed by posting pictures of it in many locations, such as the cinema, pubs, a trampoline park, a bowling alley, and an arcade. There have also been

784-736: Was travelling around Antarctica . The earliest record of a prank involving a travelling gnome is from Australia in 1986 when the Sydney Morning Herald reported that an " Eastern Suburbs gnome-owner was distressed when she discovered her gnome had been stolen at the weekend. A note was found in its place: 'Dear mum, couldn't stand the solitude any longer. Gone off to see the world. Don't be worried, I'll be back soon. Love Bilbo xxx. ' ". A similar, earlier kidnapping incident occurred in Stamford, Lincs, England A running prank has developed, which has made national news at times, where people steal

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