The Versilia is without doubt one of the localities best known in Italy and abroad. It's fame derives from a rare combination of factors that together constitute the ideai situation for all types of touristic desires.
Versilia countryside offers the widest variety possible, twenty kilometers of beaches with hundreds of bathing establishments equipped with service and facilities, nature parks and pine woods, a splendid lake and countryside.
Dominating together with this scenic beauty is the massive barrier of tha Apuane alps rich in marble and a mecca for alpine excursions.
Sporting activities have here the perfect situation. Sailing and wind-surfing are amply practiced with available professional instruction by specialized schools. Tennis, jogging, horse riding, skating, cycling and climbing to satisfy all tastes.
Versilia is also highly suited for those seeking tourist ports, well equipped and with servicing by some of the most important yacht builders of the Tyrrhenian littoral. Here you will find prestigious yachts and boats from all over the world.
With its more than 600 hotels ranging from 1-5 stars, hundreds of restaurants offering the best classical traditions of Tuscan gastronomy, Versilia is decisively complete from every 'point of view combining with its nautical facilities, bathing, culture and naturism.
Camaiore is a seaside resort to the vanguard that, for its characteristic particular, places itself between the most characterized tourist localities of Europe.
The immense one runs aground them (4 km), between Navy of Pietrasanta and Viareggio, is lain down sweetly on the sea and is easy raggiungibile: enough to cross a splendid and panoramic walk to sea (Europe tree-lined avenue), rich of garden and flower-beds bloomed, along which numerous bathing establishments are ollowed multicolors, premises publics, small storees, conferring one characteristic particular to the appreciated zone a lot from tourists and bathing.
The Europe tree-lined avenue, equipped moreover of ciclabile track, concurs to enjoy the wonderful sight of the sea.
Lido di Camaiore is characterized from numerous villas dipped in the green, from wide roads public squares and parks publics
 Forte dei Marmi offers a broad range of attractions for visitors’ free time. Windows-shopping is a favorite pastime of those who don’t want to leave the area: there are elegant shops and boutiques galore, all showing the latest creations of the world’s greatest fashion designer and exceptional accessories and jewelry, or visit the art and antiques galleries.
The famous open-air market in the town center, every Wednesday morning, attracts visitors even from far-off places.
If your preference leans toward moving around and exploring the region, there are organized tours to Tuscany’s most important cities ( Pisa, Lucca, Florence, Arezzo, Siena, etc.)to admire signification historical documents, monuments, and interesting local tradition.
The summer season in loco, in any case, abounds in exhibits of various types, festivals, celebrations, mountain fairs, and sports event.
Viareggio is the most important bathing resort on the Tuscan coast with a 10 km. long beach and over 100 bathing establishments, offering visitors a wide choice for relaxation and entertainment. The town - home of Lorenzo Viani, the composer Giacomo Puccini and the writer Mario Tobino - is surrounded by the hillside, the Apuan Alps and the lake of Massaciuccoli; it provides a unique ensemble featuring pinewoods, a colourful harbour, shipyards and a 3 km- long promenade with superb shops, cinemas and a theatre; here the Carnival of Viareggio the most famous in Italy.
Until the nineteenth century Viareggio was a small seaman's and fisherman's village. It was born astride the Burlamacca Canal, which runs from the inland area directly to the sea and divides the whole area into two parts with its docks and the port which today enjoys a great deal of commercial, industrial, and tourist activity.
The walk along the jetty is especially beautiful. It runs alongside the Burlamacca Canal and extends out into the open sea for almost a kilometer. The city has two pinewoods. One is located in the urban center and is known by the name of Pineta di Ponente. It has all the characteristics of a public park. The other is called Pineta di Levante. It begins at the docks and extends for 6 kilometers as far as Torre del Lago. It is still in its natural state with luxuriant vegetation and thick undergrowth. The Viale dei Tigli, a magnificent panoramic avenue, crosses it in its entire length.
Viareggio is the capital of the Italian Carnival. The Viareggio Carnival had its beginning at the end of the eneteenth century. lt is now a unique tradition, with its mesked procession that witness the parade of giant paper-marchè.
 Pietrasanta 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's 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 RocchettaArrighina (XIV century) and the Palazzo Moroni (XVI century).The square is moreover embellished by the Fonte del Marzocco (XVI century), the Colonna della Liberta (XVI century) and the monument to Leopoldo II (XIX century). Other important buildings of the historic center are: the San-t'AntonioAbate'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). 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 its Cultural Center "Luigi Russo" that houses the local Library G. Carducci, the 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 1984, 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 in Versilia. 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, Murabito, Nivola, Noguci, Penalba, G. Pomodoro, Signori e L. Tommas
 Seravezza The extraction of marble of different types and qualities is an important activity which began in Roman times and then went on under the rule of Cosimo I de' Medici, up to the present time.
In the town of Seravezza the production of marble is about 1,200,000 tons per year, while at Stazzema it is about 250. Monte Altissimo (1589 mts. a.s.l.), near Seravezza, is well-known for its marble quarries.
In the Cervaiole, Canal Freddone and Tacca Bianca quarries you can see the shelters of the quarrymen and the "vie di Lizza" used to tansport the marble blocks downhill.
At Monte Cavallo, near Azzano, Michelangelo lived between 1518 and 1520. Monte Corchia (1677 mts. a.s.l.) has Dolomit-like towers and marble quarries printed with arabesques.
Marble quarries of the Apuan Alps where exploitation occurs:
Cervaiole - Piastrone - Tendone:
It is possible to reach these quarries from the road to Castelnuovo Garfagnana before reaching the Cipollaio tunnel. Since 1800 the white arabesque marble is extracted "open-air" or cut horizontally into the flank of the mountain.
Gobbie and Castelnovese canals:
Reachable from the Arni hospital at the hamlet Castagnina. Here the white arabesque marble is exploited by excavating ditches.
Collettino - Bozzo - Faniello - Tombaccio:
Reachable from dust tracks after passing Arni. In addition to the white arabesque, also other types marble like the "fantastico" and the "breccia" are extracted here.
Trambiserra - La Mossa - Tacca Bianca:
Reachable from Seravezza to Riomagno-Malbacco along the river Serra. This is where the white statuary marble used by Michelangelo is found. He was actually the one who opened the Tacca Bianca quarry.
Borra Larga:
This is the most interesting and suggestive quarry as the white arabesque marble is extracted in tunnels underground. It is reachable from Levigliani through dust tracks.
Tavolini:
It is located on the summit of Mount Corchia and is reachable through a dust track from the Croce Pass, at the end of the so-called Retro Corchia path (back wall of Corchia), passed the hamlet of Terrinca.
With thanks to the Parco Apuane Toscana for forwarding this information: www.parcapuane.toscana.it
 
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