Massa, Tuscany

Massa Masa  (Emilian)
Comune
Flag Coat of arms
Massa within the province of Massa and Carrara
Location of Massa
Massa Location of Massa in Italy Show map of Italy Massa Massa (Tuscany) Show map of Tuscany
Coordinates: 44°02′N 10°08′E / 44.033°N 10.133°E / 44.033; 10.133Coordinates: 44°02′N 10°08′E / 44.033°N 10.133°E / 44.033; 10.133
Country	Italy
Region	Tuscany
Province	Massa and Carrara (MS)
Frazioni	see list
Government
• Mayor	Francesco Persiani (Centre-right)
Area [1]
• Total	94.1 km2 (36.3 sq mi)
Elevation	65 m (213 ft)
Population  (30 September 2017)[2]
• Total	68,946
• Density	730/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Massesi
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	54100
Dialing code	0585
Patron saint	St. Francis of Assisi
Saint day	October 4
Website	Official website

Massa (Italian: [ˈmassa] (listen); Emilian: Masa) is a town and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, the administrative centre of the province of Massa and Carrara. It is located in the Frigido River Valley, near the Alpi Apuane, 5 km (3 mi) from the Tyrrhenian Sea.

History[]

Massa is mentioned for the first time in the Tabula Peutingeriana, a 2nd-4th century AD itinerary, with the name ad Tabernas frigidas, referring perhaps to a stage on the Via Aemilia Scauri consular road from Pisa to Luni.

From the 15th to the 19th century, Massa was the capital of the independent Principate (later Duchy) of Massa and Carrara, ruled by the Malaspina and Cybo-Malaspina families. Massa is the first recorded town in Europe in which the magnetic needle compass was used in mines to map them and determine the extent of various mine owners' properties.^{[citation needed]}

In 1829 the states were inherited by Francis IV, Duke of Modena. In 1859, during the unification of Italy process, it joined the Kingdom of Sardinia.

Geography[]

Located in south of the province, near the borders with the Province of Lucca, Massa is a coastal town by the Tyrrhenian Sea. The municipality borders with Carrara, Fivizzano, Minucciano (LU), Montignoso, Seravezza (LU), Stazzema (LU) and Vagli Sotto (LU).

Frazioni[]

Massa counts several hamlets (frazioni): Altagnana, Alteta, Antona, Baita, Bargana, Bergiola, Bondano, Borgo del Ponte, Bozzone, Ca' di Cecco, Caglieglia, Campareccia, Canevara, Capaccola, Casania, Casette, Casone, Castagnara, Castagnetola, Castagnola, Cervara, Cinque Vie, Ciremea, Codupino, Cupido, Forno, La Gioconda, Gotara, Gronda, Grondini, Guadine, Le Iare, Lavacchio, Marina di Massa, Mirteto, Monte Pepe, Ortola, Pariana, Partaccia, Pian della Fioba, Poggi, Poggiolo, Poggioletto, il Ponte, Poveromo, Poveromo Macchie, Pratta, Puliche, Quercioli, Redicesi, Remola, Resceto, Ricortola, Rinchiostra, Rocca, Romagnano, Ronchi, San Carlo Terme, San Cristoforo, San Leonardo, San Lorenzo, Santa Lucia, Il Santo, Sei ponti, Turano, Vergheto, Le Villette, Volpigliano, Zecca.^{[citation needed]}

Government[]

Main sights[]

Massa's sights include:

• Malaspina castle (15th century), overlooking the city from a hill
• , Renaissance palace on the Piazza Aranci
• The Cathedral
• Piazza degli Aranci
• Piazza Mercurio
• Marina di Massa
• Orto Botanico delle Alpi Apuane "Pietro Pellegrini" is a mountain botanical garden maintained by the city.^{[citation needed]}

Economy[]

The Massa area is of high touristic value and also hosts a concentration of some 600 industrial and craft activities, located within the so-called Apuan Industrial Zone, with a direct employment of more than 7,000 people. Together with the twin town of Carrara, Massa is known for the extraction and production of marble.

Transport[]

Massa Centro railway station, opened in 1862, forms part of the Pisa–La Spezia–Genoa railway. The city is also served by the A12 motorway, the national highway SS1 "Aurelia", and counts (IATA: QMM, ICAO: LILQ) in the neighboring village of Cinquale. From 1890 to 1932 Massa counted a and, from 1922 to 1975, a monorail serving a marble quarry named Lizza di Piastreta.^[3]

International relations[]

Massa is twinned with:

• Bad Kissingen, Germany, since 1960
• Vernon, France,
• Nowy Sącz, Poland, since 2007

References[]

Sources[]

• Menziani, Alberto (2011). "Massa dall'Unità d'Italia alla Prima Guerra Mondiale: mezzo secolo di stori urbanistica o la nascita della città contemporanea". Atti e Memorie della Deputazione di storia patria per le antiche provincie modenesi. pp. 261–300.

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Massa.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Massa, Tuscany.

• Massa official website (in Italian)
• "Massa" . New International Encyclopedia. 1905.