Massa: from the sea to the Apuane

The palace’s construction was started in 1557 by Alberico Cybo-Malaspina. The building was created thanks to the development and transformation of the pre-existing Malaspina building. This complex architectural work was completed in the following century, with the façade decorated by Alessandro Bergamini.

 

Francesco Bergamini, on the other hand, drew up the project for the chapel, which includes rich decorations by artists from Carrara, including Ferdinando Tacca. Bergamini also supervised the building of the internal portico, the monumental stairs and the upper loggia. The characteristic “Grottesco” on the ground floor dates back to 1701.

 

The building currently hosts the Prefecture and the town’s Provincial Administration Offices.
CONTACT:URP Province of Massa-Carrara, Tel. 0585 816221.

CATHEDRAL OF SS PIETRO AND FRANCESCO
According to sources from the period, construction work started in the 1500s and, was carried out on the Convent di S. Francesco di Massa. It isn’t clear whether the church was built at the same time as the convent, or whether it was constructed beforehand on the remains of a pre-existing building. The majority of scholars believe that the building was consecrated in 1389. This would make it the oldest church in Massa, after the parish church of S. Pietro (which no longer stands today).

 

The structure’s current façade dates back to 1936. In its interior, visitors will find a single spacious nave with eight altars, in addition to the high altar of the apse; all of them are richly decorated with polychromatic marble. There is also a font by Riccomanni, as well as many paintings and sculptures. In the vaults, you will find the Cybo-Malaspina family tombs and the chapel.

THE CHURCH OF THE MNADONNA DEL CARMINE
Built in the middle of the 16th century, it was built together with the Santa Chiara monastic complex by order of the Marchesa Taddea Malaspina. The entrance to the building boasts a slender portico with marble columns. Inside, there is a painting by the Lombard School that dates back to the 15th century; it is dedicated to the Madonna del Carmine. Next to the high altar, you’ll find two paintings attributed to Domenico Fiasella.

DIOCESAN OF SACRED ART
This Museum is housed in the “Palazzino dei cadetti” which was built at the end of the 16th century by Alberico I Cybo-Malaspina; it has recently been reconstructed. The museum contains some important liturgical elements which include Catholic treasures within the Province of Massa-Carrara. Reservations are necessary in order to visit the museum:

CONTACT Tel. 0585 8990223/883001;
E-mail: bbccms@tin.it.

www.massacarrarachiesacattolica.it

OUTSIDE THE CENTRE
MALASPINA CASTLE
This well-preserved castle illustrates the development of military architecture. This primitive fortress dates back to the tenth and eleventh centuries. It was enlarged during the fifteenth century, becoming a Renaissance building decorated with marble at the windows and polychrome figures on the walls. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the structure was fortified to protect it from attacks. From the top of its walls, one can view the city, the Apuan Alps and the sea.
CONTACT:Tel. 0585 44774

ETHOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF APUANE
Situated in the Santuario degli Oliveti, this museum originally hosted a collection of Lunigiana’s artifacts related to the agricultural-pastoral use. The museum contains over ten thousand pieces related to the life and traditions of Lunigiana, Garfagnana and Versilia. Its position, in the heart of Apuan’s industrial area, has allowed experts to collect many fine pieces related to industrial archeology. Info:via Uliveti, 85; locality Madonna degli Uliveti, Massa. Visits must be booked in advance for groups and schools. Closed Mondays. CONTACT: Tel. and fax 0585 251330.

CHURCH OF SAINT LEONARDO AL FRIGIDO
This church is all that remains of an ancient settlement which probably stood near a Roman site that served those who traveled along the Via Aemilia Scauri after having crossed the Frigido River in the direction of Luni. In the Middle Ages, this sacred Romanesque building was annexed to a ‘spedale’ or hospice for travelers. The building was completely restructured in the 1950s. It hosts a single open space and its choir is part of a semicircular structure, that perhaps once served as the old apse’s base. The church’s original portal by Biduino was probably removed during the post-war period; today, it is housed in New York’s Metropolitan museum.
CONTACT: tel. 0585 240140

PARK OF THE APUAN ALPS
The Apuan Alps are unique due to their geo-morphological and naturalistic features: this mountain range is roughly 60 km long and it runs along the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea along the territories of Versilia, Lunigiana and Garfagnana. This area is famous for the beauty of its marble and its landscape has deep chasms hosting different types of rocks. This landscape boasts a variety of contrasting environments that favor the development of rich flora and fauna throughout the territory.

There are several things worth seeing in the park itself, in addition to other local places of interest. Don’t miss a visit to the old village of Casola in Lunigiana and the Museum of the Territory of the Alta Valle Aulella. Take a trip to the Equi Terme in Fivizzano and discover myriad caves and the hot springs. Otherwise, visit the Solco d’Equi Canyon and the Vinca valley. Visitors also won’t want to miss a trip to the town of Colonnata di Carrara or a few hours at the marble quarry and the Quarry Museum of Fantiscritti.
CONTACT:via Corrado del Greco, 11 55047 Seravezza (LU); Tel.0584 756144; 
www.parcapuane.it.