Viareggio is an Italian town in the province of Lucca in Tuscany. The name derives from Via Regia, an ancient communication route around which the village of Viareggio developed.
It is known as a seaside resort, for its Art Nouveau architecture, for fishing, floriculture and for the Carnival, born in 1873.
The city is an active industrial and artisan centre, especially in the field of shipbuilding. Viareggio is also known in the historical-religious sphere (among the most significant events those of Antonio Maria Pucci, Maria Valtorta and Clelia Merloni) and is home to many awards and events including the Viareggio Répaci Literary Prize, established in 1929, the Viareggio Sport Prize, established in 1985, the Viareggio Carnival Cup World Tournament, established in 1949, and the Gaber Festival, in memory of Giorgio Gaber, in which leading artists of the Italian music scene participate.
Territory
The Viareggio area extends completely over the coastal alluvial plain of Tuscany. The city is located on the Ligurian Sea and has ten kilometers of sandy beach, of which six are managed by the bathing establishments and four are free beaches; almost all of the free beach is part of the Migliarino-San Rossore-Massaciuccoli natural park, in the territory of the Piana di Lucca. It borders the municipalities of Camaiore, Massarosa and Vecchiano (PI).
The municipal area is bathed by the Massaciuccoli lake and crossed by the Burlamacca, Farabola, Fossa dell’Abate canals (which marks the border with the municipality of Camaiore), Fosso Le Quindici and the many other canals coming from the marshes surrounding the Massaciuccoli lake.
The name of the city derives from the Latin term via regis, the name of the road traced in the Middle Ages which connected the fortification on the beach to Lucca. In ancient times and until the 19th century, the toponym Vioreggio was also used.
According to others, however, it derives from vicus regius, as, in the locality of Gli Ortacci, there was a small inhabited nucleus (vicus) in the imperial age and since this center was imperial property it was defined as regius.
Monuments and places of interest
The city lost a significant part of its historical and artistic assets during the Second World War, following the heavy bombings that hit it. Despite this, in the city you can find architectures, monuments or even simple interesting plaques. The liberty, decò and eclectic architectures of many buildings are noteworthy. The most monumental and artistically valuable area of the city, in terms of quality and quantity of buildings of architectural interest is the Promenade and the Viali a mare (Viale Regina Margherita, Viale Manin, Viale Carducci, Viale Marconi, Viale Buonarroti) and the city centre.
In 1998 the “Centro Studi Cultura Eclettico, Liberty, Decò” was founded by the Department of Culture of the Municipality of Viareggio to study and promote this part of the artistic heritage of the city.
Religious architecture
•Church of the Santissima Annunziata (Marian shrine) formerly the church of San Pietro
•Basilica sanctuary of Sant’Andrea
•Church of San Paolino
•Church of San Giovanni Bosco
• Church of Sant’Antonio
•Church of Santa Maria Assunta
•Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel
•Church of the Confraternity of Mercy
•Church of Santa Rita
• Church of Santa Rita
•Church of the Seven Holy Founders
•Church of the Resurrection of Our Lord
•Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, inaugurated on 27 June 1940. It stands on the land once occupied by the third city cemetery. Note the precious 18th century altar. The church was frescoed from 1969 to 1974 by Massimo Micheli.
• Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Loc. Bicchio)
• Church of San Giuseppe (Torre del Lago Puccini)
• Church of San Pietro (Torre del Lago Puccini)
•Chiesetta dei Pescatori, built in 1956 by Don Sirio Politi (1920-1988), whose remains have been housed in the church for some years. Since 1976 a facade of the church has been frescoed by Giovanni Lazzerini.
•Chapel of the ex-civil hospital Giuseppe Tabarracci
•(ex) Oratory of San Giuseppe, deconsecrated. Already used as a soup kitchen, it is used as a hall for exhibitions and cultural events
•Aedicule of the Madonna del Rosario, also known as the aedicule of the Madonna Bambina, is particularly dear to the Viareggios; it was built in 1837 near the “Ponte di Pisa”.
•Synagogue in via degli Oleandri, built following the abandonment of the one in via Fratti
•Formerly deconsecrated Anglican Church of the Redeemer and All Saints. Now home to a pizzeria
Cemeteries
Very interesting is the cemetery complex, formed by the municipal cemetery, inaugurated in 1876, and by the Camposanto della Misericordia, whose first stone was laid in 1915, which constitutes a real open-air museum of sculptors and historic apuo marble laboratories -Versilia active between the 19th and 20th centuries, such as that of Carrara by Carlo Nicoli and that of Pietrasanta by Ferdinando Palla (1852-1944). Of particular note are the sculptors Antonio Bozzano, Giacomo Zilocchi and Ferruccio De Ranieri (1867-1957) in collaboration with their son Lelio (1890-1967). The viale delle Cappelle Gentilizie is suggestive, with works by the two major Viareggio architects of the twentieth century, Goffredo Fantini (1857-1923) and Alfredo Belluomini. In the municipal cemetery, the well-known statue traditionally known as the Waiting Girl (1895) which adorns the metal aedicule of the Barsanti-Beretta family, the work of the Carrara sculptor Ferdinando Marchetti, around which some Viareggio beliefs and legends have flourished and have been handed down for entire generations .
Civil architectures
The historic center of Viareggio suffered very heavy losses following the bombings of the Second World War and for urban planning choices made in the past; despite this, there are still some traces of the city’s most ancient past.
•Torre Matilde, so called because its construction was erroneously attributed to the Duchess Matilde of Canossa, was built in the 16th century by the will of the Lucca government along the Selice canal, which later became Burlamacca, as an observation tower against incursions from the sea. In the 16th century it was raised by one floor and in 1703 the public clock which was located on the Palazzo del Commissario di Spiaggia was transferred to the top of the tower. During the 19th century it was used as a prison. In 1947 the top floor was demolished; it is used as a hall for exhibitions and cultural events. Behind the tower, the picturesque view of the Darsena Lucca, the first port of the city built by Maria Luisa of Bourbon-Spain in 1820.
•Piazza Ragghianti, the oldest still existing town square, built in 1549
•Palazzo Belluomini, (via Regia), built in the last years of the 17th century as the summer residence of the homonymous family from Lucca. In 1809 he hosted Pius VII and some prelates on the night between 9 and 10 July while he was being taken prisoner to France.
•Palazzo Bernardini Mansi, (via della Foce), built in the early eighteenth century as the summer residence of a family from Lucca, perhaps designed by Valentino Valentini.
•Palazzo Montecatini, (between via Regia and the Church of the Santissima Annunziata). Pius VII stopped briefly in this building in 1815 to take refuge from Murat.
•Palazzo Giannini, (via Regia), was the residence of the Officers of the Royal Navy, it seems that the poet Giuseppe Giusti and the Emperor Napoleon III stayed in this building.
•Palazzo Cittadella, formerly Hotel Vittoria, (via Regia at the corner with Piazza del Vecchio Mercato), not to be confused with Palazzo Ferrante Cittadella, formerly the seat of the old town hall, destroyed by bombing.
•Palazzo Partiti, or Palazzo Frediani, (via Regia), built in the 18th century by nobles from Lucca.
• Birthplace of Ippolito Ragghianti
•Politeama Theater
•Old Fish Market, seat of the Maritime Museum.
• Small houses from the 17th century, (via Pinciana), six buildings, partially preserved. In the 1980s they were proposed as the location for the Museo della Marineria, they are privately owned.
•Institute of the Mantellate Sisters, (via San Francesco and via Sant’Andrea).
•former Institute of the Medee Sisters, (via Regia).
•Lighthouse of Viareggio, of 19th century origin but rebuilt in the 20th century
Promenade and avenues to the sea
It is the most monumental and artistically valuable area of the city, due to the quality and quantity of buildings of architectural interest. Some of the most important are:
•Caffè Liberty, formerly Supercinema Savoia, 1925-1927, inaugurated in 1929, designed by Alfredo Belluomini and decorated by Galileo Chini.
• Neptune Gallery, restored.
•Cinema Eden, 1930, remodeled in 1933 and 1964, designed by Alfredo Belluomini or Mario Morandi (unclear), late Art Nouveau style.
•Duilio 48, 1933, rebuilt in 1947, Liberty style, for the people of Viareggio “Il 48”.
•Martini shop, 1896, renovated in 1929 and rebuilt in 1947, wooden structure.
•Gran Caffè Margherita, 1928, designed by Alfredo Belluomini and Galileo Chini, decorated by Galileo Chini, Liberty style. Used as a café and restaurant, frequented by Giacomo Puccini among others, it represents one of the historic buildings of the early 20th century; it houses the Mondadori bookshop in Viareggio, a large restaurant and the historic café.
•Book Gallery, 1931, designed by and decorated by Alfredo Belluomini.
• Bagno Balena, 1928, designed by Alfredo Belluomini and decorated by Alfredo Belluomini and Galileo Chini, deco style.
•Cinema Eolo, 1932, restructured in 1937, rebuilt after the war on the design of Alfredo Belluomini (1937).
•Bagno Felice, 1933, designed and decorated by Alfredo Belluomini.
•Bagno Amedeo, 1931, designed and decorated by Alfredo Belluomini.
• Three Star Bath, 1929.
•Bagno Bertuccelli and Bagno Martinelli, 1931, designed by Leonzi, Puccinelli and Alfredo Belluomini and decorated by Alfredo Belluomini.
•Bagno Marco Polo, 1931 designed by Attilio Petrucci and Leonzi, retouched in 1938 by Alfredo Belluomini.
•Bagno Tritone, 1934.
•Il Principino, 1940, project by Aldo Castelfranco, fascist architecture.
•Hotel London, formerly Brittany, 1928, designed and decorated by Alfredo Belluomini
•Hotel Liberty, 1924, designed by Alfredo Belluomini and decorated by Galileo Chini.
•Villa Arrighi, 1925, designed by Alfredo Belluomini and decorated by Galileo Chini.
• Villino Bertolli, 1850, renovated in 1920-1930, designed by Alfredo Belluomini and decorated by Galileo Chini
•Hotel Palace, formerly Mediterranean, 1922, designed and decorated by Alfredo Belluomini.
•Grand Hotel Royal, 1925, designed and decorated by Alfredo Belluomini.
•Hotel Imperiale, enlarged in 1925, designed by Alfredo Belluomini and decorated by Galileo Chini.
•Hotel Excelsior, 1923, enlarged and renovated from 1923 to 1927, designed by Alfredo Belluomini and decorated by Galileo Chini.
•Hotel Esplanade, (piazza Puccini) renovated in 1924, designed and decorated by Alfredo Belluomini.
•Hotel Marchionni, (piazza Puccini), 1923, designed by Alfredo Belluomini and decorated by Galileo Chini.
•Prince of Piedmont Bathing Establishment
• former Politeama Theater
Today’s center
•Villa Paolina, summer residence of Paolina Borghese, sister of Napoleon Bonaparte, built in 1822, designed by Giuseppe Lazzarini. It was later used as a school; houses the “Villa Paolina Civic Museums” (the “Alberto Carlo Blanc Archaeological Museum”, the “Lorenzo Viani Art Gallery”, the “Giovanni Ciuffreda Museum of Musical Instruments”) and the Atelier and Archive of the painter Alfredo Catarsini (Viareggio 1899, 1993) and some offices of the Culture Office of the Municipality of Viareggio. The Monumental Apartments of Paolina Bonaparte can be visited, restored a few years ago and used for exhibitions.
•Palazzo delle Muse, (Piazza Mazzini), built starting in 1861, so called because much of the money used to build it came from donations from artists. It was built by Giuseppe Barellai for the use of Ospizio Marino, in 1912, again by Barellai’s will, it became a Permanent Colony. In 1938 the colony moved to Cinquale (MS) and the building was purchased by the municipality to use as a school, as the seat of the Municipality and subsequently as the seat of the Municipal Library, the Historical Documentary Centre, the Carnival Foundation and the GAMC (Gallery of modern and contemporary art).
•Villino Brunetti
•Villino Tolomei
•Villino Il Guscio
•Villa Argentina, (via Fratti at the corner with Via Vespucci), 1868, renovated in 1926, designed by Alfredo Belluomini and decorated by Galileo Chini. Splendid Art Nouveau building; is owned by the Province of Lucca.
•Villa Carmen (between via XX Settembre and via Leonardo da Vinci), Art Nouveau villa from 1910, completely renovated in 2010, with floral decorations and secular plants in the garden.
•Mercati Generali, known as “Il Piazzone”, (Piazza Cavour), 1924, designed and decorated by Alfredo Belluomini.
• Headquarters of the Ven. Arciconfraternita della Misericordia, (via Cavallotti), 1925, designed by Alfredo Belluomini and decorated by Galileo Chini. On the first floor, the Sala del Consiglio was frescoed by Massimo Micheli.
•Palazzo Moretti, (via Mazzini at the corner of via IV Novembre), private property, former headquarters of the Red Cross Territorial Hospital (during the First World War), former headquarters of the “G. Marconi” Professional Institute.
•Giosuè Carducci Classical High School, (adjacent to Villa Paolina, via Paolina Bonaparte – via IV Novembre), 1925-1931, remodeled over the years, designed and decorated by Alfredo Belluomini.
• “Giovanni Pascoli” elementary school (via Puccini), built in 1931, inaugurated in 1932, later enlarged.
•Elementary Schools “Raffaello Lambruschini”, (via Cavallotti), built in 1908 from a project by Eng. Fantini, in 1910 was named after Lambruschini.
•former Civil Hospital “Giuseppe Tabarracci”, (via Fratti).
• Rest Home Institute “Sacred Heart of Jesus”, (via Pucci), for the Viareggios the “Poveri Vecchi”, 1929.
•Institute “Santa Dorotea”, (via XX Settembre), end of the 19th century, enlarged in 1928.
•Talmone Shop, formerly Caffè Guarany, (via Garibaldi at the corner with Via Battisti), 1929-1930, designed and decorated by Alfredo Belluomini.
•Optica Bartolini, (via Garibaldi at the corner with Via IV Novembre), designed and decorated by Alfredo Belluomini, neo-Renaissance style.
• Lemon shop, formerly Bemi, (via Garibaldi at the corner with Piazza Garibaldi), designed and decorated by Alfredo Belluomini. On the tiles of the facade there is the inscription, in Latin, “hic manemibus optime” (we’ll be fine here).
•Casa Vellutini, (Piazza D’Azeglio), 1924, designed by Alfredo Belluomini and decorated by Galileo Chini.
•Unicredit headquarters, formerly Credito Italiano, formerly Casa Frediani, (Piazza D’Azeglio at the corner with Via Machiavelli), renovated in 1931, designed and decorated by Alfredo Belluomini.
•Villino Amoretti, (Piazza D’Azeglio), 1880-1885, raised in 1925, designed by Alfredo Belluomini and decorated by Galileo Chini.
• Villino “Parva Domus Magna Quies”, (Piazza D’Azeglio, 25), the building owned by Anacleto Morandi can be dated to around 1880. In 1884 it was bought by Margherita Beaumont who sold it to Alessandra de Skeariatine di Smolenzio (Russia) . The Villino was raised again in 1906, and after various changes of ownership it was purchased by the Rosano family, already owners of the Eden Theater and of the Hotel London. Note the ceramic tile produced by Chini. The interior furnishings of the entrance hall were made by the Spicciani firm of Lucca.
•Casa De Ranieri (via Mazzini at the corner with Via Sant’Andrea), 1921, designed and decorated by Alfredo Belluomini.
•Pensione Paolina (Viale Buonarroti), designed by Alfredo Belluomini and decorated by Galileo Chini.
•ex Villini Billet and De Ranieri, (viale Buonarroti), designed and decorated by Alfredo Belluomini, neo-Gothic style.
•Villino Tomei, (via D’Annunzio at the corner with Via Buonarroti), 1923, designed by Alfredo Belluomini and decorated by Galileo Chini.
•Villino Bertoni, (viale Buonarroti at the corner with Via Saffi), 1923, designed by Alfredo Belluomini and decorated by Galileo Chini, neo-Renaissance style revisited in an eclectic key.
• Viareggio railway station, Italian Rationalism.
Other areas
•Villa Puccini, Giacomo Puccini’s house in Viareggio is located in the homonymous Piazza Puccini, on the edge of the Pineta di Ponente, in the area where Liberty triumphs; is owned by the heirs.
•House Hotel, Garden City
• E. De Sortis Institute, (Varigano locality)
• Terraced houses in via Virgilio, (via Virgilio), 1927, designed by Alfredo Belluomini.
• Citadel of the Carnival, contemporary architecture. Recently built, it is a large cultural center where the papier-mâché craftsmen of the Carnival floats have moved, together with an auditorium and other structures.
•Villa Borbone (viale dei Tigli, between Viareggio and Torre del Lago), built starting from 1822 and enlarged and remodeled several times. Residence of Maria Luisa of Bourbon-Spain, duchess of Lucca from 1817 to 1824. Located within a vast park which was once used for hunting and vine growing, the villa leads to a dense forest where several nature trails start, to visit wrecks of the ancient fauna of the area, before the construction of the pine forests. Restored by the municipality of Viareggio, in collaboration with the University of Pisa, the complex of the house and the chapel with the large garden, a place for events and shows. The building also houses prestigious exhibitions – such as the one on Puccini and Galileo Chini – and is home to some postgraduate masters from the University of Pisa. Donated to the municipality in 1985 for cultural use, in front of the villa a marble stone commemorates the fascist expropriation of the wood that belonged to the Bourbon estate.
• Villa Orlando (Tower of Lake Puccini)
•Lighthouse of the breakwater
Monuments
• War Memorial, (Piazza Garibaldi), 1927, bronze, Lorenzo Viani and Domenico Rambelli. This work was not initially appreciated by the people of Viareggio, so much so that the square took the nickname of “Piazza delle Paure”.
•The “Madonnina”, (molo), 1950, marble statue with a cement pedestal in the shape of four crossed rudders.
•Statue of the Madonna, (overpass), 1956, marble statue with stone pedestal, Nicola Arrighi.
•Statue of St. Anthony of Padua, (Piazza Ragghianti), in stone on a stone column, moved and rearranged at the behest of the people in 1857. A copy of the statue can be found in a newsstand on a corner of the Palazzo petioles.
•Marble busts of Giuseppe Mazzini and Aurelio Saffi, (Piazza D’Azeglio), marble, 1892-1893, Giuseppe Di Ciolo.
• Bust of Ugo Brilli, (Piazza D’Azeglio), marble, 1935, Alfredo Angeloni. The sculpture was mutilated from the nose by a German serviceman during WWII.
•Monument to Shelley, (Piazza Shelley), bronze, 1894, Urbano Lucchesi. The sculpture is located near the place where the body of the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley was found and cremated.
• Monument to Giuseppe Barsanti, bronze, with a marble base, 1926. The sculpture is dedicated to the first owner of Bagno Nettuno and city councilor.
•Monument to Lorenzo Viani by Arturo Martini, (piazzetta Sebastiano Caboto, Lungomolo Corrado Del Greco), marble, 1938, inaugurated in 1953, the sculpture has been replaced by a copy from 1976. The original is at the entrance to the Town Hall.
• Statue of Burlamacco, (Belvedere delle Maschere, in front of Piazza Mazzini), polychrome fiberglass, 1996, later replaced by a copy after being damaged by bad weather, Fabrizio Galli on a model by Renato Galli.
•The Sailor, (loggias of the Camera del Lavoro), bronze, 1991, Giovanni Lazzarini.
•The Fisherman (fish market, Marina di Levante), bronze, Giovanni Lazzarini.
• Fisherman, (piazzetta Motto and Palmerini, Lungocanale Est), bronze, 1994, Augusto Murrer.
• Monument to the fallen, (Piazza Palombari dell’Artiglio), 1985, Enio Francesconi.
• Monument to Inigo Campioni, (Piazza Inigo Campioni), marble, 1994, Angelo Massaglia.
•Fallen of the First World War, stone with a bronze element, 1923.
•To the Resistance and to Peace, (largo Risorgimento), the monument is made up of the columns of the Old Town Hall, destroyed by bombing and two low walls that cross each other, from above the structure resembles a hammer and sickle. On one of these there is a mosaic by Folon and the verses of Salvatore Quasimodo: “And how could we sing with foreign feet above the heart?”, 1998, Bruno Belluomini.
•Monumental Fountain, 1960-1961, inaugurated in 1963, Beppe Domenici, represents the four seasons.
•Little girl on the sand, (Piazza Maria Luisa), fountain, 1938, the statue was damaged during the war, Mario Carlesi.
•Le Oceaniche, (Piazza Puccini), colored aluminum, 1993, Giulio Turcato, donated by the artist to the city.
•Scoglio di Tito, remains of a wall structure, the rock of Tito is what remains of the old building of “Tito del Molo”, a well-known restaurant. It is placed in the sea, next to the pier (west side). In 2007 a bronze copy of “L’Attesa” by Inaco Biancalana, created by Gionata Francesconi, was installed.
• Monument to the fallen aviators by Renzo Maggi, (Piazza Maria Luisa), 2007.
•Monument to Mons. Giuliano Agresti, (pizzetta Mons. Giuliano Agresti), 2007, donated by the Confraternity of Mercy.
Findings
Remains of the ancient drinking water cistern (Piazza Ragghianti), 1592.
Natural areas
Viareggio has a considerable extension of public green thanks to its “Pinewoods”.
The pine forest of Ponente
It extends for much of the length of the northern part of the city. It was planted in 1747 to defend the area from the bad weather and the winds that scourged the coast from the sea. In reality, pines are only a part of the trees in this public park. Inside the park there are commercial and recreational activities, cycle paths, avenues and pedestrian paths, sports equipment, toilets, picnic tables. To see the Swan Lake. In spring and summer, markets are organized along Viale Capponi, the pedestrian avenue that crosses the central part of the pine forest.
The eastern pine forest
Vast green area that goes from the Darsena district to Torre del Lago Puccini. It is part of the Migliarino, San Rossore, Massaciuccoli Natural Park. Anthropization is less than in the Pineta di Ponente due to the naturalistic constraints that protect it. In this pine forest is the Villa Borbone.
Culture
Education
Libraries and archives
• Municipal Library “Guglielmo Marconi”. It is housed in the rooms of the Palazzo delle Muse and has about 70,000 volumes arranged on open shelves, 170 seats, multimedia stations and relaxation areas (about 1600 m² in total). It has a section for children and teenagers (about 15,000 volumes) and four thematic rooms (two for the Vera and Giovanni Pieraccini donation, one for books on women’s issues, one dedicated to the Viareggio Répaci Prize). The Viareggio library was born in March 1892 from the merger of the circulating library of the Mutual Aid Society between workers and sailors, dating back to 1888, and that of the Technical School of Viareggio, with the name of “Popular Library aggregated to the Technical School”. After wandering to different locations, the library, in October 1940, moved to its current location, in the Palazzo delle Muse and was named after Guglielmo Marconi in March 1942.
• Historical Documentary Centre. Established in 1963 (its founder was Francesco Bergamini) to collect and preserve the city’s archival heritage. It is made up of various sections: municipal archive (pre and post unitary sections), library, photo library, maps and maps, newspaper library, carnival, Lorenzo Viani section, degree thesis section. The Historical Documentary Center is also very active in dissemination by promoting meetings and publishing material.
• Libraries and archives of parishes, religious institutes, cemeteries and voluntary associations
•Library “Sen. Milziade Caprili”. It is housed in the premises of Villa Argentina and has about 8,000 volumes of all kinds from Italian and contemporary literature, from fiction to sociology. A large section is dedicated to politics, with books on the Resistance, on anti-fascism, up to some rare volumes on the history of the Italian Parliament and on the founding fathers
Museums
Civic Museums of Villa Paolina
• “Alberto Carlo Blanc” Archaeological Museum. Established in 1974 and reorganized in 1994 as an educational museum. It preserves a series of prehistoric finds made in the area between the Serchio and Magra rivers (9 exhibition halls, 433 exhibits, 236 m²).
•Pinacoteca “Lorenzo Viani”. It collects contemporary works of art, an artist particularly represented is Lorenzo Viani (4 rooms, 64 pieces, 181 m²). The works almost all come from donations (Lucarelli donation, Varraud donation, Bonetti donation).
• “Giovanni Ciuffreda” Museum of Musical Instruments. The pieces come from the donation of Giovanni Ciuffreda (1923, 2000) (400 pieces of which 200 on display, 6 rooms, 103 m²).
•Paolina Bonaparte’s monumental apartments. Visitable, used as halls for exhibitions and displays.
•Atelier of the painter Alfredo Catarsini. Apartment-studio inside Villa Paolina used for years by the painter. It can be visited by reservation.
Other museums
Maritime Museum. Long awaited by the Viareggios, it finally opened in 2006, in the restored hall of the Old Fish Market. It is divided into sections: on-board equipment, shipyards, seafarers, shipwrights and caulkers, the Italian navy, seafaring and art, model making, diving and underwater work, fishing, nautical instruments, sailing.
•Museum of the Carnival Citadel. Partly interactive, it illustrates the history of the Carnival of Viareggio.
•Lorenzo Viani Modern and Contemporary Art Gallery (GAMC), housed in the Palazzo delle Muse. Over 3,000 works by around 750 20th-century artists, mostly from donations.
Theater
The Teatro Pacini presented the opera season; no longer existing, it was destroyed by bombing during the Second World War.
Kitchen
The Viareggio cuisine has been little known, even locally, compared to other cuisines but it is being rediscovered a bit. In general it is a fairly poor cuisine, more from the sea than from the land (due to the city’s economy which in the past was largely based on fishing) and which makes abundant use of what the cooks call “poor fish”. Noteworthy local dishes include pasta alla trabaccolara, with tomato and fish sauce, and the shoe.
Events
Numerous events are organized in Viareggio. The most important event is certainly the Carnival.
The Canevale
It is considered one of the most important carnivals in Italy. It was born in 1873, but papier-mâché in the construction of the floats was introduced in 1925. The official masks are Burlamacco and Ondina, designed for the first time by Uberto Bonetti in 1931 (the names were given in 1939) and subsequently retouched. RAI has been following the event since 1954. Since 2001, the tank crewmen have been working in the Citadel of the Carnival, a space where demonstrations and events not related to the carnival are also organised. During the carnival period and connected to this event, many events are organized, both of local and national or international interest such as the “Coppa Carnevale” World Cup football tournament.
Sporting events
The World Youth Football Tournament “Coppa Carnevale” is held annually in Viareggio, the most important youth football tournament in the world. It hosted the 1975 European Roller Hockey Championships.
Other sporting events taking place in Viareggio are the following:
