The Malaspina castle watches over it from above, the fortress that was the court of the dukes of Massa and Carrara: below, piazza Aranci — the only large Italian square bordered on three sides by a double row of orange trees — and the red Ducal Palace tell of the little capital it once was. Behind rise the marble Apuan Alps; in front, Marina di Massa stretches sandy beaches towards Versilia.
That duchy lasted into the nineteenth century: in 1829 Massa passed to the Este of Modena and in 1859 it joined the Kingdom of Sardinia, and since then it has shared the role of provincial capital with Carrara — the province carries both names. In earlier times it was called Massa di Lunigiana. It is the combination that makes the game: a morning in a quarry or on the Apuan paths, an afternoon on the beach, an evening of fish and lardo di Colonnata. Vertical Tuscany and seaside Tuscany, in the same comune.
Chiesa di San Giovanni Decollato and 1 more
Bistecca alla Fiorentina
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Nearest airport: Pisa Galilei, 44 km away
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📅 Every year, on 4 October
On 4 October Massa celebrates its patrons Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Peter; the traditional dish of the feast is tordelli massesi, made according to two different recipes handed down in the city.
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Outside Massa, but an easy day trip away.
