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The coastal portion of the town of Pietrasanta, in northern Tuscany, this strip of Italy's Versilian coast has the Tyrrhenian sea to its front and the foothills of the Apuan Alps to the rear. Lying around 30km from Pisa, an hour from Florence and 90 minutes from Genoa, it has become a popular holiday spot for city dwellers to take their summer vacation. The town is Roman in origin, with parts of the Roman wall still standing, but the current town dates from 1255, built around the Rocca di Sala fortress, first by the Lombards and then by Genoa. The town suffered the fate of so many medieval Italian comuni, passing back and forth between the possession hungry Medicis, France, Lucca, the Grand Dukes of Tuscany and others. The 'Marina' part lies 3km from the main town. Pietrasanta itself has a number of historic sights, including the 13th century Cathedral (duomo) of St Martin. The 15th century Church of St Augustine, built in the Romanesque style is now a home to art exhibitions. There is the Gothic Civic Tower and, from the 16th century, the Column and Fountain of the Marzocco, the Palazzo Panichi Carli and the Palazzo Moroni (which has the archaeological museum. Pietrasanta is world famous for its marble - Michelangelo used to come here to choose stone for his work - and the tradition persists, with two notable sculptors living in the area - the Columbian Fernando Botero as well and the Polish Igor Mitoraj.
To the left you'll find a selection of hotels, to get you in the mood
- see also our full listings of Marina di Pietrasanta hotels.
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