Best of Viareggio

Viareggio, a world famous tourist destination, is also called the “Pearl of the Tyrrhenian”. There is no question that Viareggio is an entertainment centre and the country of the carnival – The Carnival of Viareggio among other festivals and special events as well as the most exciting attractions.

The building of the Paolina Villa was ordered by Paolina Bonaparte (Napoleone Bonaparte’s sister) to the architect Giovanni Lazzarini.

Paolina Villa was built within the northern edges of the town. Three gardens form the villa’s outside: a north garden used as an outdoor sitting-room embellished by an English grass, flowers, citrus fruits and vine; a south garden equipped with daily elements (a kitchen garden and a vineyard); a natural garden surrounding the beach that leaded to the sea.

Recently building’s interiors was restored and show a French refined taste of the different paintings on the walls of every room. In addition Paolina Villa hosts the Prehistorical and Archaeological Museum “Alberto Carlo Blanc”, the Picture Gallery “Lorenzo Viani” and the Museum of Musical Instruments “Giovanni Ciuffreda”.

Paolina Villa - Viareggio

The coast of Viareggio is lined with privately owned sandy beaches. You get a beach chair and umbrella and use of facilities like changing rooms for a price. Usually the sea is calm and good for swimming. Viareggio sandy beach falls gently into the sea and is ideal for children. Spacious, clean and with beach establishments, the flat beaches of Viareggio are part of a stretch of 20 km of coast known as the Versilia Coast line. In addition the town has some pine woods and lovely countryside and a small lake approximately 8 km from the coast.

Viareggio Beach

The oldest building in Viareggio was built by Luchesi in 1541 as a defensive fortification to fight the constant menace of corsair’s incursion.

The Matilde Tower stands out against the sea on the Darsena Toscana near the mouth of the Burlamacca canal. It is a fortress nearby of the port and the most characteristic historical monument in Viareggio. From the nineteenth century until the end of WWII, the tower housed a prison. The original structure came to light after a series of interventions by the Monuments and Fine Arts Office (S.B.A.A.A.S) of Pisa in the decade 1970-1980 that removed the internal partitions necessary when it was used as prison.

The restored interior has three storeys, a terrace and a room containing the cistern. The upstairs rooms have a surface of 8m wide and 6m of high with a metal staircase and the central winze. The cistern for rainwater is underground level and can be reached through a trapdoor. Due to its good current condition, the building is used for cultural events and temporary art exhibitions. It is a public property and open to visitors.

Matilde Tower - Viareggio

The Piazza Shelley is one of the town squares and was named by the poet Shelley who drowned nearby off the coast in 1822. Shelley’s monument is located near the place where the body of English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley was found and cremated.

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