Pietrasanta, the city of Art

Pietrasanta, the city of Art

Pietrasanta, is a historic medieval and artistic town in northern Tuscany sometimes called the City of the Artists or Small Athens for its marble studios and monuments.

The town has Roman origins but the modern town is named for its founder Guiscardo Pietrasanta who built it in the mid-thirteenth century as part of the republic of Lucca. Unlike many popular Tuscan towns, Pietrasanta is not a hill town and its historic center is a pleasant place for strolling. It’s an important center for working marble and was used as a marble source by Michelangelo. Several international artists live or work here and there are art galleries and exhibits. The Bozzetti Museum is a very important museum of sculpture and sketches.

PIETRASANTA SHOPPING AND MARKETS

Thursday is market day in Pietrasanta. There’s an antique market the first Sunday of the month and a crafts the second Sunday of the month. There are several shops that sell handicrafts, marble items, and artworks. San Biagio day is celebrated with a fair in early February.

PIETRASANTA SIGHTS AND ATTRACTIONS

  • Piazza del Duomo is the large main square. Here you’ll find cafes, people, art exhibits, the town’s principal buildings, and of course the Duomo.
  • The Duomo, Church of S.Martino, dominates the square. It was built in the fourteenth century but has been remodeled several times. The exterior is covered with marble and inside are murals by Aldemollo and other important works of art.
  • Palazzo Pretorio, the town offices and Town Theatre, was acquired by the town in the fourteenth century and has been remodelled several times. From the fourteenth to nineteenth centuries, it was center of the Vicar and the Captain of Justice and coats of arms can be seen on the marble facade.
  • The Bruno Antonuci Archaeology Museum is inside the 16th century Palazzo Moroni on Piazza del Duomo. Exhibits range from prehistoric and Etruscan to medieval and Renaissance objects.
  • Tower of the Hours, Torre delle Ore, started construction in 1530 but its current look dates from 1860.
  • Bozzetti Sculpture Museum shows sketches, models and drawings of sculptures carried out by hundreds of Italian and foreign artists who worked at Pietrasanta, such as Botero, Cascella, Theimer, Folon, Mitoraj, Yasuda, Pomodoro, Tommasi and Gina Lollobrigida (the Hollywood star). It’s in the St. Agostino complex.
  • St. Agostino’s Church and Convent is a complex originating in the fourteenth 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’s currently the seat of art exhibits. 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 Center Cultural Luigi Russo, library, Museum of Sketches, and Bozzetti Sculpture Museum.
  • Rocchetta Arrighina, Porta a Pisa is the only survivor of the three ancient town gates. Originally built in the fourteenth century, it had a 17th century fresco of the Annunciazione which is now near the town hall.
  • Church of San Antonio Abate, documented since the fourteenth century, has ancient wooden statues and contemporary frescoes.
  • Rocca di Sala and Guinigi Palace sits on a hill behind the city center. The fortress was restructured in the fourteenth century and the small residential palace was built by Paul Giunigi in the fifteenth century.
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