Tucked snugly between the blue of the sea and the pure white of the marble quarries in the Apuan Alps, Pietrasanta is one of Versilia’s most attractive towns, and known as little Athens for the concentration of artists who have settled there over the years and who exhibit their work in the numerous galleries dotted about the narrow streets, alternating with shops, wine bars and elegant restaurants.

And it’s not just happening in galleries: every summer art literally takes over the centre of Pietrasanta, with installations by major artists such as, in 2024, Korean sculptor Park Eun Sun, who brings his stunning works – including his famous Infinite Columns – to Piazza Duomo and Piazza Carducci, and Emanuele Giannelli, whose works grace the bell tower of the Duomo and Piazzetta San Martino.

But what can we see all year round in Pietrasanta?

PIETRASANTA PEACE FRAME
A large frame by American artist Nall that marks the entrance to Piazza Crispi from Via Mazzini.

PIAZZA DUOMO
A distillation of beauty, dominated by the magnificent collegiate church of San Martino, completely clad in white marble except for its bell tower, whose brickwork creates a pleasing contrast with the pale main building. Open to visitors only at certain times during the year (often in summer), the tower contains a mind-blowing corkscrew-shaped spiral staircase. Piazza Duomo is also flanked by the Sant’Agostino complex and the Museo dei Bozzetti Pierluigi Gherardi (displaying over 1000 maquettes of sculptures by international artists who have worked in Pietrasanta and Versilia), the Archaeological Museum and Bar Pietrasantese, the cult place for aperitifs in Pietrasanta.

ORATORY OF SAN GIACINTO
Inside there are two extraordinary baptismal fonts. The first is a hexagonal basin dating back to 1389, the second an unfinished piece from the 16th century. All around are frescoes by Pietro Cavatorta, and there’s an altarpiece by Filippo Martelli.

CHURCH OF SAN FRANCESCO
A 16th-century church with an adjoining convent, containing a chapel to Sant’Antonio of Padua and the convent library.

(ph. Pasquale Paradiso e Nicola Gnesi)