Marina di Massa is a fraction of the Italian municipality of Massa, in the province of Massa-Carrara, in Tuscany, known for being a renowned seaside resort on the Apuan coast.
History
The area was formerly marshy and unhealthy; it was the subject of settlements only starting from the 16th century, like much of nearby Versilia. In that period, in fact, the first reclamation works began, which were continued in the eighteenth century and which were definitively concluded only in 1843-45. From the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, Marina di Massa has been affected by seaside tourism. The town, initially a holiday resort for families from Massa as well as rich families from northern Italy who had built important villas along the coast, has become a popular tourist destination thanks to its characteristic geographical position between the sea and the mountains. The construction of condominiums, some of which are large, has transformed the town into one of the residential districts of Massa.
Monuments and places of interest
The fashion for bathing between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries also involved Marina di Massa which, even before acquiring a real promenade, saw the birth of the first bathing establishments and became the seat of aristocratic villas built according to the Liberty style then in vogue. Among the most significant are Villa Corsi, Villa Doria and Villa Franca. In the same period, the historic Hotel Italia was built to welcome bathers.
Marina di Massa also underwent strong development in the Fascist era, when it became the site of holiday colonies for the children of workers in the large industries of Northern Italy. The most important, still used today, is the former Torre Balilla (today Torre Marina), built by Fiat in 1933, which still today dominates the coast with its size. Other colonies are the great Colonia Torino or the monumental Colonia Ettore Motta (the latter today abandoned and dilapidated). More recent (and smaller in size) is the Olivetti colony.
Among the more recent buildings worthy of note is the condominium building in viale Roma, the work of Ettore Sottsass.
In Bad Kissingen square there is a large monument called “Le Vele”, designed by the sculptor Pino Castagna.
In the parish church of the Servi di Maria there is a Carrara marble sculpture by Tommaso Gismondi, the Last Supper (1971).
Tourism
In the economy of the Marina di Massa area, the tourist activity is very important and reaches its peak in the summer. In fact, there are numerous tourist structures (bathing establishments, discos, pubs, hotels and campsites) suitable for welcoming Italian and foreign tourists. Historically, the localities in the northern area, bordering Marina di Carrara, (Bondano, Ricortola, Partaccia) are considered more popular, with numerous campsites and holiday camps (the Colonia Marina Edoardo Agnelli, the Colonia Olivetti, the Colonia Torino and, in the past, the Ettore Motta Colony). Conversely, the center of Marina di Massa and the towns in the southern area, Ronchi and Poveromo, have characteristics very similar to those of nearby Versilia, with pine forests, residences, hotels and luxury bathing establishments (in the Poveromo area there are the La Romanina baths by Gianluigi Buffon and the Jungle by Cristiano Zanetti).
The coast
The characteristic of the area, perhaps unique on the entire Tuscan coast, is that, unlike the adjacent rivieras, along the almost 8.5 km of coastline, there are more than a dozen artificial cliffs perpendicular to the coast, which start from the beach and they go into the sea for about a hundred metres, 6 to 10 meters wide and about 200 meters apart, so as to appease the phenomenon of erosion which otherwise would have effectively erased the beaches. Suffice it to say that, in the 20th century, after the creation of the commercial port of Carrara, the sandy coasts of the area retreated by about forty metres. The cliffs rise for an average of one meter above the surface of the water, while there are always infills in stone blocks, partially submerged and parallel to the coast, at a distance equal to the length of the cliffs.
A large avenue starts from Marina di Massa and connects the entire coast up to Viareggio. A cycle path connects Marina di Massa with Forte dei Marmi. In the so-called central area of the Pontile (former Cuturi loading bridge) there are still some historic bathing establishments (here called “Bagni”) whose state concession dates back to over a century ago.
The pier, in addition to offering a suggestive walk on the sea looking at the mountains that are reflected in it, is also a meeting point for fishing lovers especially during the storms where nets called “scales” are positioned and lowered, and in the summer it is the place from which boats leave for sea trips to nearby Liguria.
In 2010, the space in front of the wharf was occupied by a sculpture which divided public opinion into those in favor of the work and those against it; the latter would like the work to be removed in such a way as to restore the original appearance of the square.
