Versilia

Carrara

It is situated in a pleasant dell at the foot of the Apuan Alps, a spectacular mountain chain composed mostly of limestone, so white that they seem forever covered with snow. Carrara is famous all over the world for its white and pure marble, where sculptors, such as Michelangelo, went personally to choose the best blocks of it for their works of art.

Things worth seeing: the Romanesque-Gothic cathedral (XI-XIV cent.) with a front in the Pisan style adorned by a beautiful rose-window made of marble.

Nearby one can visit the quarries of Fantiscritti and Colonnata (famous for its production of the lard too).

Pietrasanta

The historical centre of Pietrasanta, with its smart Cathedral Square, is one of the most charming centres in Versilia. Pietrasanta, as a centre for the working of marble and the art of sculpting, has been since immemorial time the meeting place of artists and sculptors, from the Age of Michelangelo to Henry Moore and Botero.

Golf

Golf enthusiasts will find several courses, varying in nature and difficulty (www.golfing-tuscany.it). There are both open and sunny areas and either more enclosed ones immersed in vegetation. All are well tended and are operated respecting all the regulations.

Apuan Alps

It is a mountain chain parallel to the coastline and to the Apennines, with peaks no higher than 1900 meters, that are made of needles and sharp crest, with steep lope: for this reason they are called Alps.

A characteristic of the Apuan Alps is the existence, inside of them, of subterranean hollows of unimaginable extension, depth and beauty (about 60 km for M. Corchia or the abyss Olivier about 1215 meters deep).

The Grotta del Vento is a beautiful cave where you can discover the subterranean world without being a speleologist. The cave is equipped by paths of cement and lights which permit you to admire a wonderful spectacle of the nature: stalactites, stalagmites and small submerged lakes.