Pietrasanta in Tuscany - A town of artisans
Villa Versilian, Pietrasanta - Tuscan coast
Pietrasanta: a town of Artisans and Marble
Throughout the years, Tuscany has become a favorite destination for those exploring Italy. The major points of interest are towns outside of Florence, Siena, Pisa and Lucca. It is also possible to spend time along the beaches in towns like Forte di Marmi and Grosetto. If you happen to choose the area of Tuscany near just outside of Lucca, make sure you take the time to explore some of the very
interesting villages in the area. One that we discovered on our last inspection trip was Pietrasanta which is well known for its marble and for its artisans who are still sculpting, molding and make mosaics as artists have been for centuries.
Orange Tree
Villa Versilian
We were fortunate enough to meet Serena who so Kindly took us under her wing and shared the artistic passion that lives on in Pietrasanta with us. If you stay at Villa Versilian in Pietrasanta, you will have the pleasure of meeting Serena who will ensure that you spend a perfect week in the area learning as much as you can about the area and enjoying your family and friends in a very large and comfortable villa that is only 15 minutes away from the Camaiore Beach.
For those who are curious and want to learn more about the artisans that come from this village, Serena will make sure you have the same experience we had.
Villa Luminoso, Lucca - Tuscany
Marble everywhere
As we visited Villa Versilian, we noticed that there was a lot of marble throughout the villa. Serena explained that Carrera, which is known for marble, is very close.
She promised to bring us to the village of Pietrasanta to learn more about marble and the history of this area.
Rent your Tuscany Villa now!!
Molds for Marble art pieces in Pietrasanta
Pietrasanta: Artistic capital of Versilia
It was a quick drive from Villa Versilian to Pietrasanta center where we parked and made our way to a very industrial looking area. As we entered, we started to see the individual artisans hard at work carving their statues. Amazed at the amount of marble laying around, Serena told us that Michelangelo, in the 16th Century, had lived 5 of his years in Pietrasanta where he worked on many of his statues.
Fernando Botero, a well known Columbian painter and sculptor also spent time in Pietrasanta and his work can be seen around the village. Just imagining Michelangelo and Fernando Botero walking around working made this place magical. As we went further in we discovered that there were many different
workshops with various specialties.
Mosaics making in Pietrasanta
Amazing Mosaics
The one workshop that I really loved was the mosaics. Upon entering the room, the barely visible head of an older man was seen hunching over his work table manipulating small pieces of glass with his tweezers. As we got closer, we recognized a biblical scene made up of hundreds of multicolored pieces of glass.
This artist was working on a piece to be sent to a church in the US. This is one of the only places in the world where mosaics destined for churches, are worked on daily.
In the adjacent room, he showed up some of the larger projects he and his crew were working on. We saw how the mosaics are attached to a piece of paper which can then be made into smaller pieces and then put together like a puzzle which makes shipping very large scenes very easy.
Like most arts, this tradition has been passed down the ages. The problem is that there are fewer and fewer who are interested in keeping this very precise work alive. The pieces were just beautiful and I do sincerely hope that the tradition can be kept alive!
Villa Bella Vita - Tuscany
Pietrasanta Historical Center
Visiting Pietrasanta was so interesting and of course the village was charming and we found a perfect place to have pizza at Pizzeria Betty located at the Piazza Duomo. After lunch a visit of Duomo di San Martino, built in the 14th century, is a must! This part of Tuscany is the perfect destination if you do not know it. Art, culture, beach, beauty and many interesting towns and villages are calling for you
to visit!
