Pietrasanta is a historic medieval town in northern Tuscany. It is sometimes called the City of Artists or Little Athens for its marble studios and monuments. The city has Roman origins, but the modern city is named after Guiscardo da Pietrasanta, who founded the city in the mid-13th century.
Pietrasanta was and still is an important center for the extraction of marble. Marble from the region first gained fame when it was used by Michelangelo for some of his most famous works. Various international artists live or work here and there, there are frequent art galleries and exhibitions, as well as stone carving studios and bronze foundries. The Bozzetti Museum is a very important museum of sculpture and sketches (see places of interest below).
Pietrasanta Sights & Landmarks
- Piazza del Duomo is the great main square. Here you will find cafes, people watching, art exhibits, the main buildings of the city and of course the Duomo.
- The Duomo, Church of San MartÃn , dominates the square. It was built in the 14th century but has been remodeled several times. The exterior is covered in marble and inside there are murals by Aldemollo and other important works of art.
- The Praetorian Palace , which houses the city offices and the city theater, was acquired by the commune in the 14th century and has been remodeled several times. From the 14th to the 19th centuries, it was the center of the Vicar and the Captain of Justice and coats of arms can be seen on the marble façade.
- The Bruno Antonucci Museum of Archeology is inside the 16th century Palazzo Moroni on the Piazza del Duomo. Exhibits range from prehistoric and Etruscan objects to medieval and Renaissance objects.
- The Tour of the Hours, Torre delle Ore (clock tower), was first built in the 16th century, but its current appearance dates back to 1860.
- Bozzetti Sculpture Museum displays sketches, models, and drawings of sculptures made by hundreds of Italian and foreign artists who worked in Pietrasanta, such as Botero, Cascella, Theimer, Folon, Mitoraj, Yasuda, Pomodoro, and Tommasi. It’s in the San Agostino complex.
- The Church and Convent of San Agostino is an original complex from the 14th century. The church is Romanesque and has a marble facade. Inside are many important paintings and frescoes and a restored wooden choir in the apse. It also hosts frequent art exhibitions. The courtyard of the cloister is surrounded by marble columns and part of the frescoes that once adorned the walls are still visible. Today it houses the Luigi Russo Cultural Center, the library, the Museum of Sketches and the Museum of Bozzetti Sculptures.
- Rocchetta Arrighina, Porta a Pisa is the only survivor of the three gates of the ancient city. Originally built in the 14th century, it had a fresco of the 17th century Annunciation that is now near the town hall.
- The Church of San Antonio Abate , documented since the 14th century, has ancient wooden statues and contemporary frescoes.
- Rocca di Sala and the Guinigi Palace sit on a hill behind the city center. The fortress was rebuilt in the 14th century and the small residential palace was built by Paul Giunigi in the 15th century.
- A bike path from the city center goes to the beach of Marina di Pietrasanta, where there is a sandy beach and from there north to the coastal town of Forte dei Marmi or south to Viareggio. There are bike rentals in town.
Shopping and markets
Thursday is market day in Pietrasanta. There is an antique market on the first Sunday of the month and a craft market on the second Sunday of the month. There are several shops selling handicrafts, marble items, and works of art. Saint Biagio’s day is celebrated with a fair in early February.
Pietrasanta Location and Transportation
Pietrasanta is located in northern Tuscany in a good position below the Apuan Alps, famous for its marble quarries. It is in the coastal area of Versilia, about 3 kilometers from the sea. Pietrasanta is 20 km from both Viareggio (on the coast) and Carrara to the north and 35 km from Pisa to the south. See Tuscany railway map.
Pietrasanta is on the Rome – Genoa train line and has a station right in the city. It can also be easily reached by bus from the main Tuscan cities and the smaller towns nearby. Arriving by car, it is just off the A12 Genova – Livorno motorway and there is a parking lot next to the train station, just outside the center. The nearest airport is Pisa.
Pietrasanta is a pleasant base for visiting Northern Tuscany, Florence, Cinque Terre and Portovenere.
Where to stay in Pietrasanta
The Hotel Palazzo Guiscardo is a highly rated 4-star hotel near the cathedral that offers the use of a private beach on the coast. There are also hotels in the nearby Marina di Pietrasanta, which has a beautiful beach.
