Versilia

Versilia in Tuscany:
Versilia and environs it is located in northern Tuscany between the Lake of Massaciuccoli and the Cinquale River; it is well known for its fine sandy beaches covering an area of 20 Kilometres, offering visitors a wide variety of accommodation in around 600 hotels and 425 bathing establishments.
The coastline is backed by the scenic Apuan Alps includes the towns of Pietrasanta, Forte dei Marmi, Seravezza, Stazzema, (Versilia) more Camaiore, Massarosa and Viareggio (environs).
Lovely shores, vast pine woods, boulevards blooming with oleander and palm trees, flankebdy elegant shops... ship yards, a colourful flotilla of sail and fishing boats...
Beaches of fine golden sand, the blue expanse of the sea, the challenging arrayment of the Apuans alps. Images that speak to man and bring back memories of scenary of irresistible charms and subtile nostalgia.
In the interiors mediaeval villages, the blinding white of the marble quarries, restful valleys, shadowy woods of chestnuts, beaches and fir trees, babbing brooks...
Sheer mountain sides offering thrilling climbs climbs and incomparable panoramas

Pietrasanta
Historic town with notable monuments mainly contained in the magnficent Piazza del Duomo and also important centre for the artistic working of marble. Marina di Pietrasanta is located on the sea-front and is a renown seaside resort with elegant villas, hotels and sport facilities set amid the greenery. Famous night clubs and discotheques available. A renown summer festival at the open air theatre Versiliana is held in the summer featuring a wide variety of entertainment. Nearby, in the 'village of Valdicastelloit is possible to visit the native home of the poet Carducci. Versilia in Tuscany

"The Small Athens"
It has been defined the "small Athens" for its marble studios, its artistic foundries, its artisans,the sculptors coming from all over the world, for its cultural activities, for the ancient and modern monuments, for its sculptures, gifts of the great artists of thi century tha add beauty to its streets and squares, and also for its historic center, considered a precious jewlery case of the Middle Ages.
Pietrasanta is correctly considered as the number one place in the world for marble working.
Art and craft in this town mix together and can be breathed in every street, in the studios of artisans as well as in the ateliers of the artists and in the numerous galleries or cultural centers.
All year long, but particularly durig the Summer months,there are many art exhibitions that attract thousands of tourists and visitors.ln the town there are two museums: an archeological one and the "Bozzetti" sculpture model museum.
The latter is unique in its genre. But it is the town as a whole to offer exhibition paths that are informal and permanent with its marble studios, the artistic bronze foundries and the monumental sculptures given to the town by artists like Botero, Mitoraj, Messina, Miozzo, Finotti, Folon and Tommasi.

The Military Origins
Pietrasanta was founded around 1255, when a nobleman from Milan, Guiscardo da Pietrasanta, lord of the province of Lucca, gave it his name and noble coat of arms giving its citizens the same rights and privileges the citizens in Lucca had. Since then, Pietrasanta ' obtained a great importance for its position of military strategy and its vicinity to the sea landing o f Motrone. The town was the objed of continuous war fare and conquest from Pisa, Genova , Florence and France.

Piazza Duomo
Historic and artistic capital of Versilia, Pietrasanta remains faithful to its tradition, showing examples of religious, military and civilia architecture. Without any doubt Piazza Duomo is the undiscussed value of the town. Dominated by th "Rocca di Sala"(XIV century, which rises from the homonymous hill with its bastion and embattled walls in a thick olive-grove). Hearth of the historic center, the square is encircled by the San Martino Cathedral (XIV century) with its red brick belltower, the Sant'Agostino's church (XIV century), the "Torre delle Ore" (Tower of the Hours, XVI), and sober buildings among which the Palazzo Pretorio (XIV century), Palazzo Panichi (or Carli) and the Rocchetta Arrighina (XIV century) and the Palazzo Moroni (XVI century). The square is moreover embellished by the Fonte del Marzocco (XVI century), the Colonna dello Libertà (XVI century) and the monument to Leopoldo ll (XIX century). Other important buildings of the historic center are: the Sant'Antonio Abate's church (XIV century) that houses two large frescoes by Fernando Botero, San Francesco's church (XVI century) and the Palazzo della Posta Vecchia (XVI century).

Sant'Agostino's church
The monumental church building of Sant'Agostino's church, with the ancient former monastery ofAugustinian friars is not only the center of important exhibitions, but also an intense activity congress in ics Cultural Center "Luigi Russo" that houses the local Library G. Carducci, che Center for Studies of Historic and Contemporary Gardens and the "Museo dei Bozzetti".
This very unusual museum means that Pietrasanta has become popular as an international reference point for people interested in sculpturing.
The museum, born in I 984, gathers sketches,models and drawings of sculptures carried out by over 250 Italian and foreign artists who did or are still doing their work in one of the many artistic studios inVersilia. Some of the famous artists that we can find in this museum are:Adam, Bloc, Botero, Cascella, Cesar, Consagra, Finotti, Fonseca, Gilardi, Gilioli, Guadagnucci, Ipousteguy, Mitoraj, Morabito, Nivola, Noguci, Penalba, G. Pomodoro, Signori e L.Tommasi. Free visits are possible from Tuesday to Saturday afternoons.
Adjacent to the cultural center is the Palazzo Moroni, that houses the Archivio Storico Comunale and the Museo Archeologico Versiliese "Bruno Antonucci".

The environment
"What I like is Pietrasanta: a beautiful town with a unique square, a cathedral worthy of a great city, and the Apuan Alps forming a background. And what surroundings! What mountains, what greenery, what shade, what rivers, what fresh streams gurgle beneath chestnuts trees, and olive groves, and orange orchards, all framed by marble quarries along the green!"
This description of his home country was written by Giosuè Carducci, the great poet native of Valdicastello, where the humble house in which he was born is visited by continuous streams of pilgrims. Lying on the state highway "Aurelia", the "E1" motor way (Versilia exit) and on one qf the main railway lines, Pietrasanta, which is withìn easy reach of the Pisa airport, has the added advantage of being served by an excellent roadway network linking it with important centres. The seat of interesting cultural activity from prose theatre to ballet and concerts, from sculpture and art exhibitions to congresses and meetings, it has become an increasingly important reference point and place of encounter for sculptors who come from all over the world to learn the art of marble cutting. The restless spirit of Michelangelo the "renowned", who negotiated
in Pietrasanta the purchase of marble for the facade of S. Lorenzo in Florence, still seems to wander the streets of the town. Besides Carducci (1835-1907), among the most tamous of Pietrasanta's sons are Stagio Stagi (1479?-1561) distinguished sculptor and ornamentalist, the sculptor and historian Vincenzo Santini (1807-1876) who was the first director of the local art school and author of "Historical Comments on Central Versilia", the Piarist Eugenio Barsanti (1821-1864) who together with Felice Matteucci from Lucca invented the piston engine. A lively cultural centre, the town has an excellent public library housed in the restored monumental premises of S. Augustine, today the "Luigi Russo" Cultural Centre, a municipal historic archive of particular interest, an archaeological museum, a museum of sculptors' models and a theatre.

The economy
In spite of the fact that agricultural land and forest cover a considerable percentage of the municipal territory, the most important activities for the economy of Pietrasanta are marble working and tourism. Situated at the foot of the imposing range of the Apuan Alps, whose marble-bearing basins are of world-wide fame, Pietrasanta, whose direct extractive activity is limited to the Ceragiola-Solaio quarry, has therefore found one of its principal resources in the artistic and industrial working of this precious calcareous rock. Numerous specialised workers are active here, having learned their art in the various "studios" and the local Art Institute "Stagio Stagi", the old school for the preparation of marble workers, which, having started its activity in distant 1843 and being "useful to the town" was "through the good will of the citizens, to make Pietrasanta capable of corresponding to the beneficial sovereign seats". Even today in the historic town centre artisan workshops still provide an evocative cultural itinerary which the tourist discovers and appreciates for its origlinality. In small premises which open directly onto the street or in larger laboratories outside the town walls, skilful master artisans reproduce art treasures, classical models and bold modern figures. Parallel to this productive branch which occupies sculptors, modellers, roughhewers, ornamentalists, stone-masons and other specialists who make use not only of Apuan marble but also of that from other Italian regions or from abroad, a number of other activities have been successfully developed, including mosaic work, ceramics and bronze-working.
The other great wealth of the Pietrasanta municipality is the tourist industry; as well as by the environmental and monumental features of the town itself and other surrounding centres, visitors are attracted to the nearby seaside resort of Marina di Pietrasanta, principal tourist showcase of the area. Modern accommodation facilities, bathing establishments, sporting and recreational amenities, a great variety of evening entertainment venues as well as the Versiliana open- air theatre and literary café with its park which inspired D'Annunzio, all guarantee the numerous Italian and foreign visitors a comfortable and enjoyable sojourn. The wide beach with its fine golden sand, stretching for over four kilometres, slopes gently into the sea thus making it particularly suitable for children. Marina di Pietrasanta includes four localities: Focette, Motrone, Tonfano and Fiumetto. The tourist can easily alternate sea-side cures with equally salubrious relaxation in the pine-wood, walks in the country and excursions into the hills and mountains.

Viareggio
Viareggio founded since XII century from Lucchesi and Genovesi who, allied against Pisa, they built a tower to defend the coast. The small fortress took the name castrum di via regia, in as müch as it rose at the end of that important road which had been laid under the protection of the Emperor Federico Barbarossa. The castle, which the Písans and Luccans fought over for some time, lost its military importance over the course of two centuries. In the 16th century, after Lucca was forced to move its port to the mouth of the Burtamacca canal, the Torre di Matilde (Mathilda Tower) was built in the place of the oId castrum. This helped the formation of an inhabited nucleus. In 1559 the first church was built. It was originally called San Pietro and later dedicated to the Santissima Annunziata. Maria Luisa of Bourbon made a Iarge contribution to the urban development of the town. In 1820 a decree elevated it to the rank of city.
Paolina Bonaparte chose it as a holiday spot, and built herself a sumptuous villa which is still in existence. At the beginning of this century, Viareggio tooh on the physiognomy of a Liberty city, which was, unfortunately seriously damaged in the great fire of 1917. The most important names of those involved in the reconstruction are Galileo Chini and Alfredo Belluomini, the one responsible for the urban Iayout as it stands today, a grid of wide tree-lined avenues which reach the sea. Versilia in Tuscany

Artistic testament
The most ancient monuments Little or nothing remains of ancient Viareggio. One of the most ancient monuments is undoubtedly the socalled Torre di Matilde, which tradition would like have dated baclt to the Countess Matilde di Canossa. In reality, the structure was built at the beginning of the 15th century by the Itepublic of Lucca as garrison to guard the port and town. The powerful four-sided construction rises up near the doch and still maintains its regal and powerful aspect. In 1819 it became a prison, and stayed as such up until the end of the Second World War. The tower's internal construction consists of three floors, only one of which can be discerned from the outside. It also has a large terrace from which it ís possible to admire the splendid panorama overloohing the sea. Near the fortress, in Via delle Catene, it is possible to see some 16th century houses. In distressingly poor repair, these are the oldest houses in the city.

The historical palaces and Shelley's monument
The beautiful historical palaces are of certain architectural interest, and although it is not possible to visit the interiors, the exteriors definitely merít a visit. The Palazzo Bernardini was built in the IBth century as a summer residence for the noble Bernardini family of Lucca. Palazzo Belluomini owes its fame to Pope Pious VII's forced visit, having stayed there on his way to France as a prisoner of Napoleon III. The palazzo also had a small theatre for entertnining the noble proprietors and their friends. Another importnnt building is the Palazzo della Cittadella, built in the l8th century and now the site of the Hotel Vittoria, where Alessandro Manwni and Giuseppe Giusti stayed. But the most famous building is the Palazzo PaoIina, ordered to be built by Paolina Bonaparte and now the site of two museums. ShelIey's monument, in the pia.zza of the same name, has a romantic flavour. In fact, the great English poet drowned in a boating accident in 1822 off the coast of Viareggio. According to the laws in force at the time, any body found at sea had to be cremated for fear of contagion and eventual epidemics. ShelIey had to be buried in Italy, and not in England, as his friend Lord Byron would have wished. In his honour, the citizens erected this monument.

Art Déco
The most interesting architectural motif in Vinreggio, however, is represented by the buildings of the 'twenties and 'thirties, generally attributed to Liberty, although the style is rarely so pure and classifiable as that. To be more precise, these buildings are an expression of Art Déco, characterized by the vast ceramic decorations, much in vogue in the architecture of the 'twenties. In this context it is possible to place the work of the architect Belluomini and the painter and ceramist Galileo Chini. The oldest building, and the only one to survive the terrible fire of 1917, is the Martini store, made of wood, like all the other buildings that once adorned the sea walh. The Gran Caffe Margherita, the most exclusive meeting place in the city; with its unmistakable exotic turrets in bright yellow, blue and whíte majolica tiles, reproposes those wooden structures which were such an easy prey to fire. The curviIinear façade of Magazzini Duilio 48, one of the most whimsical survivors in the Liberty style, and the façade of Bagni Balena, are just some of the buildings which made Viareggio world-famous. Art Déco also inf luenced the building of Villa Argentina, the tympanums of the Supercinema, and the panels of the Hotel Excelsior, as well as many other artistic episodes which make up the historical part of Viareggio.