Versilia

Versilia is the river that flows from the limestone foothills of the Apuan Alps, crosses the hills, reaches the sea, and gives its name to the entire territory it passes through, all the way to the coast.

Just a few kilometers from the historic center of Lucca, the Versilia coast welcomes you with its evocative landscapes of wide, soft dunes and jagged mountains, the delicate colors of olive groves on the hills that hold important parts of its history and dazzling glimpses of the marble mountains, the relaxing sound of the sea and the rhythms of trendy clubs, which were a source of inspiration for artists of every discipline and a welcome and relaxation for all.

Mountains overlooking the sea.

Before the nineteenth-century land reclamation definitively got the better of the coastal marshes, the image of Versilia had the features of the Apuan mountains, of the hills and valleys of the Serra and Vezza, of the historic villages of Stazzema, with its ancient white parish church suspended on the edge of a ravine, of the mountain pastures of Pruno, Volegno and Cardoso.

From the Apuan Alps to the coast, the marble route descends through natural, human, and historical landscapes, from the mountains to the sea, from historic Versilia to contemporary Versilia, from raw material to works of art, from the marvelous natural architecture of Monte Procinto, the natural arch of Monte Forato, the deep canals of Monte Corchia, the karst caves carved by the rushing course of underground rivers, to the essential and involuntary ravaneti and swirling alleys of lizza, and finally to the refined atmospheres of Pietrasanta's sculpture workshops and art galleries.

Seravezza At the foot of those mountains and between two rivers, he welcomed Michelangelo Buonarroti, sent by the Medici to procure the precious marbles. The rose window in the small chapel in Azzano is his tribute to these places, the Cervaiole quarries, from which he excavated refined white marble, arabesques, and breccias, his great intuition.

Pietrasanta, hosted other Florentine artists who developed a light and refined local art. Sculpture workshops and galleries are now numerous, and many artists continue to choose Pietrasanta as their chosen home. The works of Cascella, Botero, Miozzo, Mitoraj, Marinky, Messina, Finotti, and Folon, displayed in small squares, cloisters, train stations, churches, and alleyways, become an open-air museum of contemporary art. They simultaneously celebrate artists and artisans of marble and bronze who, in their workshops, create works for public and private spaces around the world.
A name so closely linked to the material and work for one of the most famous holiday resorts in Italy is finally Forte dei Marmi. In this journey he evokes the departure of the heavy cargo on long sea voyages towards the world.

Protected by the Apuan Alps and overlooking the Mediterranean, the Versilia hills are a collection of fascinating landscapes from time immemorial.

In recent times, brutally struck by history, it has found serenity in memory, in silence, and in the music that international artists offer every summer on the organ of the Parco della Pace in the small church of Sant'Anna di Stazzema, from where the view opens up over the entire coast.

More ancient times, that of the Roman villa of the Velulei, on a natural terrace on the shores of Lake Massaciuccoli.

In the midst of other times and other stories. The nineteenth-century Bourbon Villa of Capezzano Hidden by a thick vegetation of plants from all over and a rich collection of palm trees that Charles Louis gave to his wife Maria Theresa of Austria, Pietrasanta is lively and sunny, with contemporary art in galleries and venues, streets and squares; the exuberance of the Renaissance in the sumptuous marble furnishings of its churches and its "cathedral of a great city." Pietrasanta boasts masterpieces both large and small, with a medieval fortification and an important road, the Via Francigena, which runs through it completely and continues beyond, between the fortresses of Vallecchia and Corvaia, towards the lake and the cliffs of Porta Beltrame, and beyond into the hills. In 990, it was the route taken by Bishop Sigeric and pilgrims to Rome, marked by numerous castles and villages, parish churches, abbeys, and collegiate churches for rest and prayer, still well connected by a dense network of paths.

Among the olive groves of the Valdicastello hill, the parish church of San Giovanni and Felicita, elegant in its proportions and bas-relief decorations. Within the walls of Camaiore the Collegiate Church of the Assumption, sober and composed and furnished with multicolored marbles combined with a singular taste for color and composition, as is often found in Versilia. Outside the gate, the Great Abbey of San Pietro with its cultured and perfectly balanced compositional harmonies, and not far away is the parish church of Elici. The view from the terrace once again opens up, expansive and bright, over the Versilia coast. Inside, the building tells a story of centuries, accompanied in summer by the music of the beautiful eighteenth-century organ.

Versilia: a unique and precious natural environment

Environments where nature is accessible and welcoming and the landscape changes rapidly.
Each season offers different scents and colors, whether you explore them on foot or by bicycle along the cycle paths; or out at sea aboard the research catamaran Krill, for an up-close encounter with the dolphins and whales of the "Cetacean Sanctuary."
Along the entire coast, where the original dunes remain, the vegetation is exclusively herbaceous, allowing the view to sweep and the water to make incursions towards the interior, where it is retained to form pools of water for numerous species of aquatic birds, several hundred of which are distributed among the various seasons.
In the oldest blades grow rockroses, junipers, pine shrubs, helichrysum, bindweed, rocket, sand grass, and occasionally some beach centaury and goldenrod in their only known habitat, from which a particular honey is harvested that has the aromatic scent of the beach.

In the Versiliana Park, the last remnant of the plain forest, a still intact corner, a refuge for numerous species of all kinds, plants, mammals, fish, birds, and amphibians: the LIPU Oasis of Massaciuccoli on the lake.
More domestic are the pine forests of Viareggio: "di Ponente" (Western) - a long, narrow forest of holm oaks, pines, and broadleaf trees - a park equipped with kiosks, restaurants, areas reserved for animals, bicycle rentals, and children's rides. "di Levante" (Eastern) - a lush pine forest that reaches Torre del Lago from the Darsena and was once the "Tenuta Arciducale" (Archducal Estate), for which Maria Luisa of Bourbon had dreamed of the garden of a large palace, which remained unfinished.

Versilia and the aristocracy

In 1822, Paolina Bonaparte Borghese built a villa on the coast, launching the trend of sea bathing, and paving the way for an aristocracy attracted by the novelty of the coast and its wild, romantic spaces. Meanwhile, the Dukes of Bourbon began the substantial reclamation of the Marina lands. Duchess Maria Luisa even had a grand palace built on the estate near the lake, with a tree-lined avenue and a network of small roads leading to farms and estates.

The Versilia coast was born during that period, born from its colors that attracted artists and intellectuals to the luminous atmosphere of Lake Massaciuccoli.
“The dear lump” he called him Giacomo PucciniHe loved the lake's delicate atmosphere, its colors, and its rich wildlife. For his home and his inspiration, he sought "a tranquil village, luxurious and extraordinary sunsets." The interiors of the villa on the lake, enclosed in a simple volume immersed in the garden, are the result of collaboration with his artist friends, Chini, De Servi, and Nomellini, and of the memories of his own life: hunting relics and stage triumphs, eclectic and fashionable furnishings.
As the Maestro wished, on the shores of the lake there is a large Water Theatre which hosts his Operas in the summer.

Many other artists followed him. D'Annunzio describes romantic pine forests and fragrant, salty woods that remain intact in the park of the "La Versiliana" villa. The Roma Imperiale neighborhood is home to the villas of painters, writers, musicians, actors, and intellectuals. In Viareggio, the Viale Margherita is home to many Art Nouveau buildings: beach resorts, residences, theaters, and cafes, a particularly charming "promenade" in winter, when these architectural gems reveal themselves, gateways to one of Italy's most famous beaches. The GAMC houses approximately 3000 works by these great painters, sculptors, and graphic artists who illustrated Versilia and twentieth-century Europe.

Versilia VIP, a recent but highly successful story!

Wide sandy beaches, fragrant dunes, shady pine forests, a small dock for romantic sailboats and luxury vessels, and a seafront lined with trendy shops and clubs for over a century.
For a shopping break between sea and culture, Versilia's many markets take over the avenues and squares on alternate days. Some are famous and...precious, others smaller, but always intriguing.
The seafront, from Viareggio to Forte dei Marmi, is a natural shopping hub. After the beach, you'll find the most delicious dishes in the finest restaurants and the finest designer labels in elegant shops open until midnight in the summer. There's also plenty of entertainment to be had in the numerous venues along the coast, including the Versiliana open-air theater, the large open-air theater on the water, and the Cittadella del Carnevale amphitheater.

All Old dock Once upon a time, they built small vessels, trabaccoli, brigantines, and the barcobestia, the pride of the Viareggio people. The Maritime Museum recounts these craft, along with the craftsmanship of master shipwrights and caulkers, and the exploits of the legendary Artiglio divers, who at the turn of the century recovered sunken treasures around the world.
In recent years, in the new docks, fishing boats have made way for yachts and cruisers.
The tradition is updated with the use of new, lighter and more resistant materials, and new construction techniques, and the historic "partnership" with the float builders of Italy's most famous carnival, the Viareggio Carnival, born as a joke in 1873, is consolidated.
The first float builders made use of the experience gained in the dockyard in the workshops of master carpenters and sawyers, employing that manual knowledge, construction techniques and methods, to the craftsmanship of the carnival, with solid structures and bright colours.
In the Cittadella del Carnevale Museum, the statue of Burlamacco welcomes visitors with his broad smile, amidst the history and techniques of creating the famous papier-mâché creations and the irony, vices, and idiosyncrasies of contemporaries without distinction: politicians, intellectuals, showgirls, and imaginary characters.