What to see in Pietrasanta

What to see in Pietrasanta - The 20 places not to be missed

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Pietrasanta, whose narrow streets follow the Roman grid track (insolite for a Tuscan village), has maintained its status of epicenter and creative home to more than 15 contemporary art galleries. The high season for art galleries runs from June to September and it is during this period that Piazza del Duomo comes alive with events. As we have already seen in the guide of Pietrasanta, the city is more than a colony of international artists, it has a very rich historical centre full of interesting architecture, starting from the already mentioned and beautiful Piazza del Duomo. Here you can admire the Cathedral of San Martino, built between the 13th and 14th centuries in Romanesque-Gothic style, the Church of Sant'Agostino in Romanesque style with its beautiful Baroque bell tower, the Tower of the Hours, the Column of Marzocco and the Monument of Leopold II. The nearby parish church of Valdicastello and the Church of San Francesco are worth a visit. There are also interesting museums, including the Archaeological Museum Bruno Antonucci, the Bozzetti Museum, which preserves works by local artists, the Barsanti Museum (dedicated to the internal combustion engine, invention of Eugenio Barsanti), the museum-home of the poet and Nobel Prize winner Giosuè Carducci in Valdicastello. Among the civil buildings, you can see Palazzo Pretorio, Palazzo dei Capitani di Giustizia, Palazzo Panichi, today seat of the post offices.

Here is a list of things to see (after having seen them, take a tour of Marina di Pietrasanta, its beaches, a few kilometers from Pietrasanta), among those of Forte dei Marmi, Viareggio and Lido di Camaiore, attract crowds of holidaymakers every year and you will find a large number of elegant restaurants, shops and hotels.

Piazza del Duomo (Dome Square)

Piazza del Duomo cuts the city in two, and presents itself in all its beauty, with the presence of modern sculptures on temporary exhibition, well harmonized in the historical context. The Cathedral of San Martino, the Praetorian Palace, the Civic Theatre, the Church of Sant'Agostino and other noble palaces overlook it. The square is large and in addition to the historic buildings, it houses some cafes. Surely the view of this beautiful square remains impressed in the mind, for its majesty but also for the fact that here are set up rotating exhibitions with works by great artists (from Dalì to Gustavo Aceves, Moore to Mirò). Every first Sunday of the month there is a beautiful market, during which are housed about 70 antique exhibitors who sell furniture, wooden sculptures and marble, modern objects, etc..

Cattedrale di Pietrasanta (Cathedral of Pietrasanta)

The mother church of Pietrasanta, its Cathedral, also known as the "Collegiata di San Martino di Pietrasanta", impresses with its white façade, divine in the purity of that material of which the city is rich: marble. The church was founded in the 13th century, well before 1223, when the first news of its existence dates back to 1223. The external structure has three naves, two side aisles and a central one above the height of the former, with the classic sloping profile and a central marble rose window. The style is Romanesque-Renaissance... deepen by reading our article on the Cathedral of Pietrasanta.

Campanile del Duomo di Pietrasanta (Bell Tower of the Cathedral of Pietrasanta)

Certainly of historical interest is the adjacent bell tower of St. Martin's Cathedral, 36 meters high made of red brick on view. Its construction was completed in 1520, according to an original plan of 1518, which provided for the marble cladding, like the mother church, but which was never completed. The project is attributed to the architect Donato Benti, even if, according to some academic research, his architectural origin could not be less than Michelangelo's work, who lived in Pietrasanta between 1516 and 1520. The bell tower has something uncommon in fact, the more you can observe it, the more you can see how particular is this building, almost forty meters high and square (8 meters side by side). Characteristic that makes it extraordinarily ingenious is, inside, the cochlear staircase, much more than a helical staircase and so much "studied" by the greatest Renaissance artists (from Bramante to Sangallo il Giovane, to Leonardo da Vinci himself) for the fact that, surprisingly, the internal structure, cylindrical in shape, has the same dimensions as the Trajan column, at the Imperial Forums in Rome. The staircase is self-supporting, conceived as a gigantic sculpture inversely excavated, which wraps itself around the central void without any support.

Battistero, ovvero Oratorio di San Giacinto (Baptistery, or Oratory of San Giacinto)

The Baptistery of Pietrasanta, also known as the Oratory of San Giacinto, is of great artistic elegance. It was built in the seventeenth century on commission of the Compagnia del Santissimo Sacramento, even if of that period remains today the only altarpiece. Inside are preserved some works from an earlier historical period, here transferred in the second half of the eighteenth century; one of the two baptismal sources present dates back to 1389 and is the work of Bonuccio Pardini, who elaborated it with precious bas-reliefs. The other baptismal font is the work of some more recent centuries, by sculptors Donato Benti and Nicolò Civitali (XVI century) and Orazio Bergamini and Fabrizio Pelliccia, who completed it in 1612. Inside you can also admire the large altarpiece (Eucharist and adoring angels) by Filippo Martelli, dated 1636, the altar, the balustrade and the holy water stoves, all from the 18th century, by Giuseppe Maria Castepoggi. The entire complex of interior decorations, restored in 1988 and 2011, including frescoes, medallions and various sculptures, is beautiful.

Where? Via Garibaldi (on the right side of the Duomo). When? Opening hours for the public: every day from 8.00 a. m. to 12.30 p. m. and from 3.30 to 7.00 p. m. (often until midnight in summer), check the times that vary seasonally for safety.
 

Chiesa e Chiostro di Sant'Agostino (Church and Cloister of Sant' Agostino)

On the Piazza del Duomo, and on the opposite side of the Cathedral, we find the Church and the former convent of Sant' Agostino, now no longer dedicated to worship. The church is noted for its simple marble façade, with three large round arches, which contrasts with the large undivided interior space. At one time the church was flanked by the Hospital of Merchants, then closed and used as a school under the management of the Brotherhood of the Blessed Sacrament, following the Napoleonic period and the suppression of the monastic order. The church was originally built by the Augustinian fathers, thanks to the funds received from the merchants of Lucca in the 14th century, and still today its architectural aspect, as a whole, reflects the monastic austerity once in force. After a good restoration in the 20th century, today the spaces are used as a suggestive location for events and exhibitions. The Church of Sant' Agostino, is one of the most important examples of Gothic architecture in the area of Lucca, this despite the fact that at the end of the eighteenth century a bell tower was added. The interior is as we said, undivided, with a nave, and you can admire a beautiful altar of the Annunciation (assigned to Stagio Stagi), several tombstones on the floor, some cycles of frescoes of the fourteenth and fifteenth century (including a wall decoration of the eighteenth century, recently recovered). The current marble altars are a replacement of those of more ancient origin, except for the original 16th century altars, on which there was once a work by Zacchia il Vecchio, then stolen in 1921 and of which only a few traces remain. Among the paintings, frescoes and murals, there is also the wooden choir, in the apse, recently restored. The atmosphere in the cloister, flanked by the church, is typical of the places dedicated to silence: peace and tranquility. The church and convent are linked to the figure of Eugenio Barsanti, who was born in Pietrasanta in 1821 and was ordained priest: he was not only a priest, but also an engineer and inventor, creator and also builder of the first internal combustion engine, built in collaboration with Felice Matteucci.

Where? Via Sant' Agostino 1

Palazzo Moroni

In Piazza Duomo and in the immediate vicinity of the Cathedral, we find Palazzo Moroni, a building with a classic architectural character on the main façade of which stands out the double external staircase. It has always been destined to the public functions of the city, it originated from two older buildings already existing in the seventeenth century, the House of Augustinian Fathers and the house of a notary, a certain Morrone Morroni. The purpose of the palace was then to house the Chancellery. The interior offers a pleasant visit, with characteristic ceilings and finely decorated floors. The room on the upper floor is particularly appreciated. Today you can visit the palace for the Archaeological Museum Bruno Antonucci, housed here and in which there are numerous objects dating back to the Etruscan period, and for the presence of the Municipal Historical Archives.

Palazzo Pretorio

Building seat of the Banco dei Vicari and Captains of Justice, passed through the hands of Perotto degli Streghi (from Lucca) when it was acquired in the fourteenth century. In the vestibule and façade, as usual, it has numerous coats of arms of the families who ruled Pietrasanta. It has undergone several restructuring interventions over time, and was then purchased by the Pretura in the 19th century. Today it houses municipal offices.

Torre civica (City Tower)

The Municipal Palace of Pietrasanta is in Piazza Matteotti 29, just outside the historic centre of the town, Piazza Duomo, the same square that instead houses the Civic Tower, thus being separated from the former. Also known as Torre delle Ore, because of its clock, it was built around 1530 and consolidated in 1706, taking on its current appearance in 1860. The tower is located in the middle of two buildings, with an adjoining bar and cafeteria.

La Rocca di Sala (The Fortress of Sala)

Pietrasanta view from the top of its crenellated walls and from the Rocca that dominates the hill, offers a unique panorama. From what remains of an ancient fortress, you can see Piazza Duomo, the red bell tower and the civic tower, elements that already existed centuries ago. You can glimpse the whole plain of Versilia from Viareggio to Forte dei Marmi and, in clear days of the sky, you can see the Tuscan Archipelago beyond. Little seems to have changed up there, making the gaze travel from this mighty fortified complex with its square shape, angular towers and central keep. The people on these sides call the fortress, Rocca Ghibellina, a real witness to the main events and vicissitudes of the whole Versilia. Think, the fortress was already present in the Lombard period and was more fortified by Castruccio Castracani in the fourteenth century. Such was the importance of the fortress, built at the same time as the Rocca Arrighina, which developed Pietrasanta from them, gradually a centre more and more attractive for the lords of Lucca. Paolo Guinigi himself, famous and powerful lord of Lucca in the fifteenth century, had the opportunity to have a residence built here, which was the place of obligatory passage for emperors and popes, such as Charles V and Pope Paul III. The defence of the fortress was well organized, as evidenced by the network of underground tunnels and what remains of the walls, still visible from the square and reachable by a path that ends directly at the Rocca. In 1700 the fortress was sold by Leopold I, Grand Duke of Tuscany.

Rocca Arrighina

The founding of Pietrasanta in 1255, was the result of a series of war events started with the first expansionist attempts of Lucca. In that historical period the whole Versilia was presented with a series of fortifications and castles scattered in some strategic points, from which it seems to have had life a first nucleus city. At that time, the Podestà Guiscardo da Pietrasanta, from the fortress of Sala, founded the urban nucleus that today bears its name. Some time later Castruccio Castracani built a small fortress called "Arringhina" in honor of his son, later restructured and enlarged in the fifteenth century. The structure has undergone drastic changes over time and is currently private. Find the fortress next to the door facing Pisa, also called Porta Pisana.

Museo dei Bozzetti (Sketches Museum)

The Pietrasanta Bozzetti Museum, (dedicated since 2007 to "Pierluigi Gherardi"), unique of its kind in the world, is located in the former convent of Sant' Agostino. Founded in 1984 thanks to the initiative of the Danish art critic Jette Muhlendorf, the museum aims to document the activity of Versilia's art workshops. Marble has always been the main work of Pietrasanta's workshops since the 14th century. The Muhlendorf had the idea of creating a collection of plaster casts and preparatory works in general, documenting the activity of the artistic workshops in Pietrasanta, today there are more than 700 sculptures of various sizes and materials, first works by international artists famous throughout the world... Read on the Museum of Sketches.

Parco Internazionale della Scultura (International Sculpture Park)

The Sculpture Park of Pietrasanta is the ideal continuation of the Sketch Museum in the open air and bears witness to the local artistic imprint strongly linked to the sculptural creations (hence the name "Little Athens"). Consisting of more than 60 works of contemporary monumental sculpture, this wide open-air museum itinerary winds its way through streets, squares, gardens in the centre and the hamlets. The location of the works inserted in the urban landscape is of great impact, highlighting the union between the masters of sculpture who have worked or work here and their precious and indispensable collaborators who realize their ideas in the laboratories. Craftsmen and skilled masters in marble working, but also in the fusion of bronze, mosaic and inlay art. The International Sculpture Park has a wealth of more than 30 works by renowned artists, including Fernando Botero, Igor Mitoraj, Kan Yasuda, Marcello Tommasi, Pietro Cascella, Jean Michel Folon e Novello Finotti.

Museo Barsanti (Barsanti Museum)

The Barsanti Museum is located in Piazza Duomo, on the second floor of Palazzo Panichi, opposite the new section of the Bozzetti Museum and is dedicated to the inventor of the internal combustion engine. In order to achieve an extraordinary invention, it is necessary to experiment for a long time. This was the path followed by the priest of Pietrasanta, Father Eugenio Barsanti (1821-1864) inventor, with Felice Matteucci, of the internal combustion engine. An ingenious creation that paved the way for an unstoppable evolution: the engine "accelerated" the times and conquered every aspect of everyday life. The Museum exhibits relics of the life of Barsanti, curiosities, historical reconstructions, documents and engines. The "Premio Internazionale Barsanti e Matteucci" promotes the knowledge of this great inventor through the contribution of the most authoritative interpreters of technological progress. In addition to Barsanti's life, the exhibition offers short stories dedicated to the theme of engines and allows you to take a dip in history with the first Fiat internal combustion engine mounted on the first car in 1899.

Open on weekends in July and August at 18.30-20.00/21.00/21.00-24.00 or on special occasions.
Via Marzo 1, Pietrasanta - 55045 (LU) Tel: 0584795369
 

Museo Archeologico di Pietrasanta (Archaeological Museum of Pietrasanta)

In the Archaeological Museum of Pietrasanta is dedicated to "Bruno Antonucci", the professor who was head of the group of archaeological research in the territory in the 1960s and 1900s (Speleological and Archaeological Group Versilia). The museum is home to finds found in the sites of the Versilia district, documenting the different cultures that have followed each other from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages, with the addition of an interesting collection of Renaissance ceramics. The most important section is the Etruscan and Ligurian section, which includes a large number of Etruscan marble burial stones, the reconstruction of some cassette tombs and other remarkable evidence of the settlements of these populations in the area. The Museum, since its establishment in 1968, has been housed at Palazzo Moroni in Piazza del Duomo in Pietrasanta, first as a deposit and then as an exhibition open to the public. The building, characterized by a double external staircase, is one of the most interesting in the city, both from a historical and architectural point of view, and for the public functions to which it has always been destined. It was built in the seventeenth century by combining two pre-existing buildings, to house in a single complex the Monte Pio, the Chancellery and the hall of meetings. Renovated in the mid-nineteenth century, it remained a municipal seat until the Second World War, then welcoming the Civic Library and later the Municipal Historical Archive and the Archaeological Museum.

Teatro comunale di Pietrasanta (Municipal Theatre of Pietrasanta)

This 17th century building, which developed from an area occupied by the salt warehouses, was rebuilt above the old structure in 1779 to provide a venue more suitable for comedies and carnival (he performed plays, dances and events related to the carnival). The new theatre was inaugurated in 1784 and maintained its shape, with a horseshoe-shaped plan and three orders of stages, until 1937. During the 1800s works by Goldoni, Alfieri and Shakespeare were represented, as well as operas and operettas. From 1937 a new restored theatre took the place of the previous one, with a gallery on two levels supported by columns. Only a few decades later the gallery was built. The theatre season of Pietrasanta boasts leading names in the national artistic scene.

Statue nel laboratorio dello scultore Palla (Statues in the workshop of the sculptor Palla)

Located in the historic center of Pietrasanta and known all over the world, we find an ancient artistic workshop of marble processing. In these rooms, almost by magic, sinuous and elegant shapes were born, thanks to Ferdinando Palla, artist and director of the School of Fine Arts of Pietrasanta. In 1868 Palla founded his marble laboratory, a real workshop with sculptors' department, stonemasons, ornaments, polishers and so on; this workshop has gone from the creation of classical and sacred sculpture, to monumental and ecclesiastical sculptures, to the most modern forms of architecture. The workshop is located in the historic center of Pietrasanta, inside you will find an army of statues, beautiful and strong young people, hands, feet and heads. For four generations the Palla family has continued the work of the founder (who was renowned throughout the world for the reproduction of ancient works and religious statues), although after the splitting of the company the property was divided between brothers, with the consequent shift of production workshops.

Among the modern art galleries in Pietrasanta (over 15) we mention the Galleria La Subbia (11 Via Padre Eugenio Barsanti) and the Galleria Tega (Via Provinciale Vallecchia 56) where you can see works by a famous Tuscan artist, Sandro Chia and the avant-garde duo Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

Colonna del Marzocco  (Marzocco Column)

As in many other important villages of Tuscany, also in Pietrasanta, the Lion of Marzocco, which symbolized the Florentine domination, was exhibited in the squares. Pietrasanta passed under the dominion of Florence in 1485 and the Column of Liberty surmounted by the Marzocco erected by the Florentine sculptor Donato Benti (who was a trusted man by Michelangelo), was erected in those years. We find the name of the sculptor Benti quoted in several payments for small works made for the Opera del Duomo di Pietrasanta as "Master of Door", perhaps because he was committed to strengthening the walls and the door of the city. In the nineteenth century, the fountain with three trays, with marble bandage of 1545, present next to the Marzocco, was moved here, near the climb to the Rocca, from the nearby square. The name "Marzocco" derives from the fact of bearing on the top a representation, called "Marzocco", consisting of a lion sitting with the right paw holding the shield with the lily of Florence. This type of representation is one of the oldest emblems of Florence.

Borgo di Valdicastello (Village of Valdicastello)

A few hundred meters from Pietrasanta, there is the small village of Valdicastello (about 1000 inhabitants) characterized by the interesting parish church of San Giovanni and Santa Felicita. Quoted in the ninth century, it owes its name perhaps to ancient fortifications that have now disappeared. The presence of the so-called little margins (votive columns dedicated to Jesus and Our Lady) is curious, numerous in the village, a sign of the great religiosity of the past. In addition to the parish church, the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta and San Giuseppe and the little church of Santa Maria should also be mentioned. The village is famous above all because there is the birthplace of Giosuè Carducci, which we will talk about shortly. Just outside, a quarter of an hour's walk from Valdicastello, stands the Madonna del Pizzetto. Between ancient churches, an unspoilt nature, abandoned mines, Valdicastello is certainly a fascinating stopover for those who decide to visit Pietrasanta.

Casa natale Giosuè Carducci (Birthplace of Giosuè Carducci)

In the hamlet of Valdicastello, which we have just talked about, there is the birthplace of the great poet and Nobel Prize winner Giosuè Carducci (Valdicastello di Pietrasanta, 27 July 1835? Bologna, 16 February 1907). Declared "National Monument" since 1907, the museum house offers the opportunity to visit four rooms of the building furnished with furniture belonging to Carducci, who was born here in February 1835. The father of the poet, Michele Carducci, was a surgeon's doctor employed by a local firm. After the bankruptcy of this company in 1836, the Carducci left the village. The poet returned to his native town only in 1890, when he was 55 years old. Since 1907, the year of the death of the Poet, the Municipality of Pietrasanta has organized events and commemorations in memory of this important figure of Italian literature. In 1950 the National Poetry Award "Giosuè Carducci"vwas established in his memory. Entrance to the house of birth is free, opening hours depend on the season. Winter timetables are open from Tuesday to Sunday from 5 pm to 8 pm; winter time is open on Tuesdays from 9 am to 12 pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from 3 pm to 6 pm. Check times for safety.

For information and reservations:

Office of Cultural Institutes Municipality of Pietrasanta tel 0584 795500
E-mail: istituti.culturali@comune.pietrasanta.lu.it
 

Marina di Pietrasanta

Marina di Pietrasanta is a seaside resort in Tuscany. The hamlet of Pietrasanta and part of the renowned Versilia Riviera, in the province of Lucca, is flanked by other well-known seaside resorts, such as Forte dei Marmi, Viareggio and Lido di Camaiore. Blue sea on one side and mountains on the other, wide beaches and super organized beaches and beaches, and then still lush pinewoods, lively nightlife (here there are several famous discos), and high concentration of bars and restaurants, trendy shops and beautiful houses to be the frame.... Read on Marina di Pietrasanta.

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