The town hall of the province of Lucca   Bagni di Lucca Barga Borgo a Mozzano Camaiore Castelnuovo Garf. Castiglione Garf Coreglia Antelminelli Montecarlo Vergemoli Viareggio	Pietrasanta		The fortitude of Sala   The Cathedral of S.Martino   The Baptistery       The countries of Pietrasanta   Page 1 Capezzano Monte Capriglia Marina di Pietrasanta L'antico porto di Motrone Salto alla Cervia (torre) Solaio e Vitoio Strettoia Valdicastello Carducci Vallecchia
	Pietrasanta Google maps
	The history of the city versiliese began in 1225, when the podestà of Lucca, Guiscardo Pietrasanta (of Milanese origin) to the command of the militias lucchesi, penetrated in Versilia to defeat the pisani from the castles of Sala and Motrone, once completed its mission and conquered the Versilia, for a long time desired by the lucchesis for its fertile and rich earths of mineral and above all to have a seaport, to the feet of the fortitude of Sala it founded a new lived center that baptized "Pietrasanta". The foundation of Pietrasanta happened in 1225, was the consequence of a series of initiated war events well two centuries before and more precisely with the first expansionistic attempts of Lucca, to the beginning of the XII century thanks to some concessions decreed by the emperor Enrico V (1116) and from the emperor Lotario (1131), Lucca he entered Versilia getting the possession of Motrone (subsequently Lucca and Pisa for its possession will fight for a long time), threatening the various castles of the noble the Viscounts of Corvaia, that from the X century they commanded the whole Versilia thanks to a series of fortifications and castles situated in some strategic points, some castles during the years were subdued to Lucca, others with the hope to succeed in maintaining their feuds were joined Pisa, always ready to muover war against the lucchesi.
	Numerous battles were fought among the noble of the Versilia called" Cattanei" and the Republic of Lucca (not Lucca always won the battles), but with the death of Federico II (1250) invaded Lucca the Versilia, in 1254 in full war with Pisa,i soldiers of Lucca under the command of the Podestà Prendilaparte, conquered the mighty castles of Corvaia and Vallecchia, last castles of the Viscounts of Corvara, one year after the soldiers they completed the conquest of the Versilia they organized another military consignment and under the command of Guiscardo Pietrasanta, the militias lucchesi conquered the two castles of Room and Motrone last castles remained in hand pisane. Pietrasanta, one of the so-called ones "New Earths" after her foundation, it immediately was found in nanny of the military powers in Pisa, Lucca, Florence and Genoa, continually in struggle among them for the possession of the region, alternating once himself more than to his/her command, in the 1308 Lucca to administer Pietrasanta and the castles of Vallecchia and Corvaia it founded it "Vicaria of Pietrasanta".

In the 1313 Pietrasanta become by now a prosperous center, she was besieged and ransacked by the troops pisane and of Arrigo VII come down in Italy in that period, this looting forced later some years Castruccio Castracane to build around Pietrsanta of the strong boundaries, and to increase the defenses, building next to the door in direction Pisa, "Rocchetta" said " Arringhina" in honor of his child (to the commander lucchese is also owed the foundation of the Cathedral and the building Pretorio), You subsequently Rocchetta was also restructured by the Florentines in the XV century. To the death of Castruccio, Pietrasanta instead of being surrendered in Dukedom to her wife Pine of Monteggiori, was put in sale together with Lucca and shortly time to her command they alternated him, Gherardini Spinola, the Florentines, Mastiff of the Staircase, Luchino Visconti and the pisani, finally in 1370 she returned under the insignias lucchesi for about sixty years, in the 1437 Lucca not able to settle a debt of 150.000 shields, contract some years before in Genoa, it allowed the liguris to occupy the maritime port of Motrone and some near castles, the Genoeses after having taken possession of the castles lucchesi instigated and they pushed the men of Pietrasanta to rebel to Lucca succeeding in appropriating of the town and of his contado, that will succeed in holding up to 1484. With the burst of the war between Genoa and Florence, in 1484 it ended the Genoese dominion, the army of Lorenzo of the Medici formed by 7.000 soldiers assaulted the city versiliese that surrendered him after two months, the Florentines restructured and they strengthened the defenses of Pietrasanta (the Fortress, the Rocchetta and some lines of boundaries of the castle been damaged in the siege were sheltered), in 1494 with the arrival in Italy of Carlo VIII Florence was forced to surrender Pietrasanta to the lucchesis that will get back in 1513, thanks to an arbitration of Pope Leone X and from that moment Pietrasanta will remain under the jurisdiction in Florence, up to the constitution of the Kingdom of Italy except the brief Napoleonic parenthesis.   Photo Pietrasanta   Churchs   Cathedral S.Martino           S.Francesco  N°1 - N°2         S.Agostino          SS.Biagio and Antonio   Country  n°1 - n°2 - n°3 - n°4 - n°5 - n°6 - n°7 - n°8 - n°9 - n°10 - n°11 - n°12 - n°13 - n°14 - n°15       Monuments of  Giordano Bruno  and  Leopoldo II

 

The fortitude of Sala
The Fortress of Sala was probably built by the Longobardis before Thousand to defense of the small village of Sala place along the ancient street Francigena or Romea, that in the XIII century with the foundation of Pietrasanta will be united to its fortress in the city newborn versiliese.  The first historical news of the suburb of Sala we find her inside a 1108 document, while in a dated following document 1160 come confirmation of the existence of her fortress and his church entitled to S.Niccolò " Ecclesiae S.Nicholai in Castro de it Salts", that before the arrival of the lucchesis in Versilia, they belonged to the descending Noble of Room of the Viscounts of Corvaia. With the ascent to the power of Castruccio Castracane to Lucca the fortress dictates "Fortress Ghibellina" or "superior Fortress", she was made to widen and to restructure from the same commander when incastellò Pietrasanta, as they confirm the three plates set above the door of entry, in the two side it was you graven the imperial eagle and the Dog of the Castracanis (coat of arms of the surname), while in that plant Castruccio as realizzatore she is quoted.  The Fortress of Sala in the XIV century had a square form with to its angles four towers while to the center of the square it was situated the tower "the mastio" tall four floors, with a bell and of the lanterns for the nighttime signalings, the whole of the fortress was surrounded by a ditch, its frontal side that turned to the sea and Pietrasanta was strengthened by another wall of enclosure defended from other three towers, that it entertained the door of entry of the whole defensive complex.  In 1408 next to the fortress a building one were built of the most beautiful of the Versilia, to his/her inside numerous important characters will sojourn, Paul Guinigi (1408), the King of Naples Ladislao and her wife Ilaria from Cyprus (1409), Charles V (1536), Pope Paolo III (1538), while in the "mastio" or Central Tower, in the preceding century they had sojourned you the emperor Carlo IV of Boemia and the consort.  In 1484 the fortress dominion of genova was conquered by the Florentines that they strengthened her, some decades after the fortress it began to lose its strategic importance, the building in 1560 served as barracks for the soldiers and the whole fortitude went degrading itself in the time, in 1778 she had put in sale from Leopoldo I, today of the fortress and of the building few ruins.   Photo of the fortress of Sala   N°1 - N°2 - N°3 - N°4 - N°5 - N°6 - N°7

 

The Cathedral of S.Martino
The history of the Cathedral of Pietrasanta unlike the most greater part in the great churches lucchesi (VIII - IX century), it begins in more recent epoch and precisely around 1223, in concomitance of the to be born of the town of Pietrsanta, the small church devoted to S.Martino, began its ascent under the Dominion of Castruccio Castracane, the commander lucchese considered by some historical ones the founder of the Cathedral, in the last years of her life, over that it has to strengthen the defenses of Pietrasanta, he would also have begun the first amplification of her church, that will result completed in the 1230 two years after her death, subsequently in the 1387 Pope Urbano Vi, to demonstration of the important role, that the church of S.Martino went to occupy in Versilia, the granted ones the Baptismal Source and did it raise it to the rank of Collegiate, from the beginning of the XVI century the church began to have enriched and embellished by numerous works of art, turning herself into the stately Cathedral of today. The Cathedral of Pietrasanta, splendid building to three aisles completely dressed again in marble, show his/her beauty also to the outside, the façade adorned by a great "rose window" in worked marble, work of the XIV sec. attributed to Riccomanno Riccomanni, introduces three doors overhung by three stupendous fanlight representative bas-reliefs, you Crocefissione (hands central), You Deposition (hands side left) and You Resurrezione (hands side right), another fanlight representative bas-relief S.Giovanni Battista is situated above a door of entry, sets on the left side of the Cathedral (street Garibaldi), besides above the central door introduces the coat of arms of Pope Leone X, realized by the sculptor Florentine Donato Benti (XIV century). The inside of the cathedral, restored in 1627 by the Gran Duchess Cristina of Lorena, introduces in every angle of his a work of art, the most stately the marmoreal pulpit was realized by three artists, the hexagonal box (n°1 - n°2 - n°3) decorated by beautiful sculptures in relief, she was performed in 1508 by Donato Benti, the pedestal from the famous Lawrence Stagi and the staircase, an unique piece of marble elegantly carved was realized in 1696 by Andrew Baratta,  besides numerous paintings they are to signal two font to its inside (n°1 - n°2), a candelabrum and the statue of S.Giovanni Battista of Stagio Stagi 1522 and a font of Donato Benti (1508), that leans above a column realized by the Moisè in 1760   The characteristic bell tower, a bricks tower tall 36 meters unfortunately it is an incomplete work, realized between the XV and the XVI century, he was never dressed again of marble as it was anticipated in the initial project.   Other photos:     Plinth cancels pulpit       Inside Cathedral n°1 - n°2      Chapel Madonna of the Sun

 

The Baptistery
	The Baptistery of Pietrasanta, situated to little distance from the Cathedral (Street Garibaldi), he was realized toward the end of 1700, following the decision taken by Leopoldo of Asburgo Lorena to suppress all the Brotherhoods, that it brought founder to the breakup of the Brotherhood of the SS.Sacramento in the XVII century, of the oratory of S.Giacinto, the oratory not more a brotherhood's center, the Collegiate one was assigned to of S.Martino that began to use him as Baptistery. To his inside among the a lot of works of art are to signal the two Baptismal Sources, the most ancient, an octagonal tub to immersion with to its sides of the bas-reliefs raffiguranti the Virtues, realized in the XIV century from Bonuccio Pardini, while the second (XVI century) from the form to bomboniera it was work of well four artists, Donato Benti, Nicolò Civitali (they began it), Orazio Bergamini and Fabrizio Pelliccia (they completed it in 1612).   Other photos Baptismal source to "Immersion"   n°1 - n°2 Baptismal source to "Bomboniera"   n°1 - n°2

 

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