Exploring churches and monasteries from Camaiore to Massarosa

An itinerary of faith, among churches, convents and parishes, that knows how to tell of the religious life of Camaiore; but every village of the Versilia, even if very small, has its own religious building that, very often, has origins in the remote past, and that often contains works showing the importance of religion that has characterised the ancient populations of the villages and their desire to show it.

We start with the Badia (Abbey), an ancient Benedictine convent that was built in the VIII century and of which only the structure and the beautiful Romanesque church dedicated to St. Peter remain, the latter conserving important works of art. A few hundred metres away we arrive at Camaiore’s main square, dominated by the Collegiate church dedicated to St. Mary of the Assumption, from the XIII century, flanked by the imposing XIV century bell-tower (originally the civic tower). Here are some paintings and statues of considerable artistic value. Not to be missed the church del Suffragio, that of St. Vincent or Dei Dolori, that of the Angelo or many others, large and small. They are all artistically interesting places of worship and they show the great ancient devotion of the place.

Moving a little way from the centre, we reach the village of the Parish, where the church that gives its name to the town is an old parish dedicated to St. John the Baptist and St. Stephen. It seems to be of Longobard origins. Also not to be missed at Massarosa is the parish of St. Pantaleone in Elici, rebuilt in the XII century on the early Medieval building. Rising on a spur that slopes to the sea in a dominating position over the Massarosa plains, the parish is a significant example of pre-Romanesque Lucchese architecture.

In Massarosa, other than the characteristic medieval village, worth a visit is the Roman archaeological area, connected to the Paleolithic age, where the remains of a Neanderthal man were found. The little town also boasts a rich Civic Museum that holds numerous remains found in the Massarosa countryside. Numerous also are the courtly villas, built from the XVI century by noblepeople from other cities who fell in love with the striking views and the beauty of the places, and chose Massarosa as the “ideal retreat”.