Enclosed between the Apuan Alps and the sea, Pietrasanta is one of the most popular destination of Versilia in the summer time. Rich in monuments and historic palaces, its old town is really the tidiest and artistic of the area.

Here you can find the Duomo, the Church of Saint Augustine, the cloister, the library, the Civic Tower and the theater. Pietrasanta was founded around 1255 at the foothills of an ancient Lombard fortress and soon enough it was conquered by Castruccio Castracani that built some imposing walls of which you can still recognize some stretches.

In 1500 Florence took over its domain and started to exploit the marble of the local caves to create works of art and decorations for churches and palaces. Pietrasanta is still today a well known centre for processing marble and bronze.

In the old town are often hosted art exhibitions and sculptures of italian and foreign artists so that the town is nicknamed the Athens of Versilia. Along the streets of the centre you can find numerous art galleries and exhibitions open all year. The main cultural centre in Pietrasanta is the Villa La Versiliana, built in the nineteenth century is surrounded by a huge pineforest where every year is held a festival with writers, poets, painters, journalists and show-business characters.