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# 81 JULY 18 , 2016
# 81 juLY 18 , 2016
read more about #Italian Land and Nature
ITALIAN LAND AND NATURE:
VERSILIA
By www.italia.it
The vivacious cultural life here expresses
itself with literary encounters and in the
by-now famous International Satire Festival (to which even a Museum is devoted - hosted, no less inside the old fort).
Forte dei Marmi's weekly market is also
quite well-known; it is definitely one of
Italy's musts.
Versilia, a zone both fun and cultured,
is known to many for its gossip pages.
Yet this stretch of land (in the Province of
Lucca), that runs past the slopes of the
Apuan Alps and the Park of San Rossore,
is famous for its beaches. Lying between
the cities of Forte dei Marmi and Viareggio, its long, fine-sand beaches and coastal dunes – particularly from Viareggio
to Torre del Lago – are typical traits of
the Versiliese littoral. The resort localities
that dot the coastline include the exclu-
sive Forte dei Marmi, sunny Viareggio,
Marina di Pietrasanta and Lido di Camaiore.
Symbol of refined glamour, Forte dei
Marmi is built up around the ruins of a
fortress, and stands out for its villas plunged in green and its famous nightclubs
– for instance, the legendary La Capannina – that made the Italian lifestyle of the
1970s history.
Pietrasanta, Versilia's artistic capital, is
located further inland. It was Michelangelo that first worked the local marble,
beginning in the 1500s, while today,
sculptor Fernando Botero is a regular,
having already adorned the community
with some of his works. Facing the Tyrrhennian Sea, Marina di Pietrasanta is a
tranquil and elegant sea village, ideal for
families.
Camaiore, with its typical historic center
and Romanesque architecture – e.g. the
Collegiate Church from 1278 – is nestled
within a basin at the feet of the Apuan
Alps. Camaiore is famous for its cast-iron
artisanry, a process that tourists can view
in local forges. Its beach community is
Lido di Camaiore.
81 landandnat 2Finally, Viareggio, the
southernmost point in Versilia, for centuries was the only outlet onto the Lucca
Sea. It has been known internationally
since the late 1800s, given that it hosts
one of Italy's most important Carnival
celebrations; today, it is also an elegant
and refined seaside resort hub. Composed of fashionable cafes and locales that
welcome the young and trendy nightlife
crowd, Viareggio also boasts architectonic beauty to match, with a number of
lovely Art Nouveau constructions. With
its aesthetics and style, it can add culture
to its résumé, as seat of one of the most
76 | WE THE ITALIANS
WE THE ITALIANS | 77
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www.wetheitalians.com