Viareggio
Viareggio is a town located in Tuscany in the province of Lucca.
It is known for various reasons. It is primarily a well-known tourist resort, home to many
attractions both in summer and winter.
For example, remember the famous carnival and numerous sporting and cultural events such as
the Viareggio Répaci Literary Prize, the Viareggio Sport Prize established in 1985 and the
Viareggio Carnival Cup World Tournament established in 1949.
In recent years, the Gaber Festival is also of particular interest, in memory of Giorgio Gaber, in
which the best Italian artists participate.
The city is also an important industrial and craft center, active above all in the field of shipbuilding, which has long been known all over the world, in the floriculture and fishing sector.
As for the artistic heritage, it was largely destroyed during the Second World War, when Viareggio
suffered heavy bombing. Despite this, it is still possible to find architectures and monuments of
particular interest around the city.
In fact, the liberty, deco and eclectic architecture of many buildings are remarkable. In this sense,
the most monumental and interesting area is represented by the promenade on the sea and the
surrounding avenues.
Among the buildings survived, the Matide Tower is worth mentioning, so called because its
construction was attributed by mistake to the Duchess Matilde of Canossa. The tower was
actually built by the Govern of Lucca to use it as an observation point for the raids that came from
the sea. The tower was then used as a prison in the nineteenth century and today is home to
exhibitions and cultural events.
Viareggio has a considerable extension of public green thanks to its "Pinete".
The western pine forest was planted in 1747 in the northern part of the city to protect it from strong winds from the sea. Inside the pine forest you can find paths, cycle paths, sports equipment and areas used as a picnic area.
The eastern pine forest extends south from the Viareggio dock towards Torre del Lago. It is
subject to naturalistic and environmental constraints which protect it, making it less anthropized.
In the eastern pine forest there is the famous Villa Borbone.
Around Viareggio there are lots of places of cultural and artistic interest as well as naturalistic.
Around Viareggio there are lots of places of cultural and artistic interest as well as naturalistic.
The cities of Lucca and Pisa are only 25 km away and in the surroundings there are natural
environments of considerable value such as the Apuan Alps (since 1985, regional natural park of
the Apuan Alps), Lake Massaciuccoli, the natural park of Migliarino - San Rossorea nd the
cetacean sanctuary.
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