Versilia is a part of

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

in the north-western province of

Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one ...

and southern part of Massa-Carrara, and is named after the Versilia river. Known for fashionable Riviera resorts, it consists of numerous clubs that are frequented by local celebrities.

Geography

The most famous and populated part of this area is

Pietrasanta Pietrasanta is a town and '' comune'' on the coast of northern Tuscany in Italy, in the province of Lucca. Pietrasanta is part of Versilia, on the last foothills of the Apuan Alps, about north of Pisa. The town is located off the coast, where th ...

, which extends along the coastline and is at the foot of the

Apuan Alps The Apuan Alps ( it, Alpi Apuane) are a mountain range in northern Tuscany, Italy. They are included between the valleys of the Serchio and Magra rivers, and, to the northwest, the Garfagnana and Lunigiana, with a total length of approximately ...

, travelling from South to North, beginning at

Stazzema Stazzema is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Lucca in the Italian region Tuscany, located about northwest of Florence and about northwest of Lucca. History During World War II, the village of Sant'Anna di Stazzema was the site ...

and up to Marina di Massa. The coastal shelf is sandy sloping gradually into the

Ligurian Sea The Ligurian Sea ( it, Mar Ligure; french: Mer Ligurienne; lij, Mâ Ligure) is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea. It lies between the Italian Riviera (Liguria) and the island of Corsica. The sea is thought to have been named after the ancient L ...

, which stretches from the Ligurian coast up to the

Piombino Piombino is an Italian town and '' comune'' of about 35,000 inhabitants in the province of Livorno ( Tuscany). It lies on the border between the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea, in front of Elba Island and at the northern side of Maremma. O ...

promontory, and not from the

Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (; it, Mar Tirreno , french: Mer Tyrrhénienne , sc, Mare Tirrenu, co, Mari Tirrenu, scn, Mari Tirrenu, nap, Mare Tirreno) is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenian p ...

as mistakenly believed, whose name has replaced the historic nomination, The Tuscan Sea.

History

In Roman times the Versilia river was known as Fosse Papiriane and was a large swamp between

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the city ...

and Massa, and between the sea and the Apuan Alps. It was touched by the Via Emilia Scauri and crossed by the

Via Aurelia The ''Via Aurelia'' (Latin for "Aurelian Way") is a Roman road in Italy constructed in approximately 241 BC. The project was undertaken by Gaius Aurelius Cotta, who at that time was censor.Hornblower, Simon, & Antony Spawforth. ''The Oxford Cla ...

. During the medieval era through the inside, along the South-East North-West, by

Via Francigena The Via Francigena () is an ancient road and pilgrimage route running from the cathedral city of Canterbury in England, through France and Switzerland, to Rome and then to Apulia, Italy, where there were ports of embarkation for the Holy Land. It ...

Historical Versilia

The so-called "Historical Versilia" consists exclusively of four common places:

Forte dei Marmi Forte dei Marmi () is a sea town and ''comune'' in the province of Lucca, in northern Tuscany (Italy). It is the birthplace of Paola Ruffo di Calabria, Queen of the Belgians from 1993 to 2013. Tourism is the principal activity of Forte dei Marmi' ...

Seravezza Seravezza is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Lucca, in northern Tuscany, Italy. It is located in Versilia, close to the Apuan Alps. Neighboring municipalities * Forte dei Marmi * Massa *Montignoso *Pietrasanta *Stazzema Patron saints Se ...

and Stazzema.. The latter two, because the land is located mainly on hills and mountains of the Apuan Alps, are the so-called "Alta Versilia” or Upper Versilia. From the geographical point of view the "Historical Versilia" extends from the north Cinquale valley to the south Motrone valley, and coincides with what was the Capitanato di Pietrasanta. A major literary figure who attended the Versilia at the beginning of the 20th century was Gabriele D'Annunzio, who had built a huge villa in the pine forest around Pietrasanta. The poet spent there the last years of his life, composing the most famous verses of ''Alcyone ''and ''Francesca da Rimini''.

Climate

The climate of the Versilia coast is mild, but all things considered, given the position close to the

, is greatly influenced by the humid Atlantic currents that contrast with the nearby mountain, bringing abundant rainfall, mostly concentrated in the half-seasons. During the summer, the humidity is very high, with values between 60 and 80%. This encourages the proliferation of mosquitoes, contrasted by the reclamation of marshes, which are finished by the beginning of the season.

Sources

*Scalabrella, Diamondo (1964). ''Vita eroica di Guiscardo da Pietrasanta''. Tip. Cooperativa Pietrasanta, p. 72. *Lopes Pegna, Mario (1958). ''Versilia ignota''. Florence: Editoriale Toscana.

External links