• Seravezza

If we follow the Versilia River upstream from the sea, you will discover that is born from the confluence of two streams: the Serra and the Vezza. At this meeting point we find Seravezza, one of the four municipalities of historic Versilia, with a very unusual morphology that extends from the peaks of the Apuan Alps to the valley in which the administrative centre is wedged. Despite what you might think, the two rivers were named after Seravezza and not the other way round.

It is in this inland Versilia area that Michelangelo chose the marble for his works of art from the quarries that are no longer used but still visible. It is through this area that you can reach the Versilia side of the Apuan Alps Park where you can find forests, small villages and views that are completely different from the seaside part of Versilia.

1 Medici Palace – UNESCO World Heritage Site
Countless works of marble art
2011 – the year in which the President of the Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, gave Seravezza the Silver Medal for Civil Valour

The Medici Palace

Our tour of Seravezza starts from the undisputed symbol of the town, the Medici Palace, summer residence of the Medici family. This substantial monument was built by Cosimo I de’ Medici and completed in 1565. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013 but from the unification of Italy until 1966 it was used as the town hall. Today it hosts events and temporary exhibitions, as well as the municipal library, the historical library and the Museum of Work and Folk Traditions of Historical Versilia. The restored Grand-Ducal Stables next door host exhibitions and conferences. Other things to see in Seravezza include the Church of Saints Lorenzo and Barbara and the Santissima Annunziata Oratory.

Seravezza: villages and history

Seravezza does not include just the administrative centre but there are also other towns such as Querceta (the most important from an economic point of view and with the largest number of inhabitants), Pozzi, Ripa and other smaller villages.

A very popular destination in the summer months are the Malbacco pools, where the Serra River leaps between the rocks amidst lush vegetation. At Malbacco the river has created natural pools and a slide, ideal for cooling down in the summer heat. To reach the pools you have to go by foot along a path because it is a restricted traffic area.

If you like the mountains, Piazza Carducci in Seravezza is the starting point for the Upper Versilia Trail (SAV – Sentiero Alta Versilia); a ring route of natural and panoramic beauty that connects villages that are interesting from a historic, artistic and cultural point of view. The paths of the Upper Versilia Trail have been used for more than 2000 years and were rediscovered in recent years for a total of approximately 50 kilometres and 20 towns.

In the month of June the village of Riomagno comes alive with the Photography Festival, an exhibition spread throughout the entire village with professional and amateur works, workshops and events.

The President of the Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, gave Seravezza the Silver Medal for Civil Valour for the events of World War II, which caused numerous civilian casualties and the destruction of public and private buildings. Another infamous incident in the area was the flood caused by the Versilia River overflowing on 19 June 1996.

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