Massa (Tuscany): what to see


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What to see in Massa, itinerary to visit the main monuments and places of interest including Piazza Aranci, Cathedral, Malaspina Castle and Diocesan Museum.


Tourist information

Located near the Apuan Alps, Massa is a city in upper Tuscany where there are various activities related mainly to the processing of marble.

The first evidence regarding the origins of the city dates back to the ninth century, starting from the twelfth century it was first under the dominion of Lucca, then under that of the Visconti and subsequently of Florence.


In 1442 it was the lords Malaspina of Fosdinovo who acquired control of it, while in 1554 the Cybo-Malaspina also acquired Carrara and Alberico I arranged that the town was built around their castle.

In 1741 the duchy was transferred to the Este dynasty which maintained it until its subsequent annexation to the kingdom of Sardinia in 1859.

Palazzo Cybo-Malaspina overlooks Piazza Aranci, a building characterized by a noteworthy facade built in 1701 by Alessandro Bergamini, particularly noteworthy is the beautiful double-porch courtyard from the seventeenth century.


What see

The Cathedral of Massa looks like the result of a reconstruction carried out in the seventeenth century over a fourteenth-century church, while the marble facade is from the twentieth century.

In the baroque interior of the Cathedral there is, on the right side, the baptistery including a baptismal font by the Riccomanni.

Continuing the visit you will find the underground funeral chapel reserved for members of the Cybo-Malaspina family and bishops.


On the left is the monument of Lorenzo Cybo-Malaspina, attributed to the Bottega degli Stagi.

In the cruise there is the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament which preserves a fresco by Pinturicchio depicting the Madonna and a terracotta Nativity by Benedetto Buglioni.

Recommended readings
  • Artimino (Tuscany): what to see
  • San Galgano (Tuscany): what to see
  • Poggibonsi (Tuscany): what to see
  • Castiglione di Garfagnana (Tuscany): what to see
  • Tuscany: Sunday day trips

Adjacent to the church is the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art, where collections of liturgical furnishings, goldsmiths and various works of art are exhibited.

The Malaspina Castle is placed in an elevated position above the city, it houses a remarkable collection of archaeological finds found in the area.

In the church of Santa Maria degli Ulivi there is a fifteenth-century statue of San Leonardo, a work attributed to Jacopo della Quercia.

Massa-Carrara (eng) (March 2024)


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