It is known as a seaside resort as well as being the home of the famouscarnival of Viareggio (dating back to 1873), and itspapier-mâché floats, which (since 1925), parade along the promenade known as "Passeggiata a mare", in the weeks ofCarnival. The symbol of the carnival of Viareggio and its official mask isBurlamacco, designed and invented byUberto Bonetti in 1930.
The city traces its roots back to the first half of the 16th century when it became the only seaport for theRepublic of Lucca. The oldest building in Viareggio, known asTorre Matilde, dates back to this time and was built by the Lucchesi in 1541 as a defensive fortification to fight the constant menace ofcorsair incursions.
Viareggio is also an active industrial and manufacturing centre; its shipbuilding industry has long been renowned around the world and its fishing andfloricultural industries are still fundamental sectors to the city's economy.
Viareggio hosts thePremio letterario Viareggio Répaci for literature, established in 1929. Amongst the other events organized around the year, is theFestival Gaber, which has been held every August since 2004 to celebrate the memory ofGiorgio Gaber, and is attended by several high-profile Italian musicians.
The current coat of arms was chosen in 1848 and replaces the previous one dating back to 1752, which showed an image ofSaint Anthony from Padua, the first patron saint of the city.
The current coat of arms consists of an anchor with a hawser placed on top of a white, red and green shield. Viareggio was one of the first municipalities to adopt thetricolore (later to become the official flag of the unified Italy) for its coat of arm; even before Italy was officially unified.
During the 3rd century BC, the mountains of Versilia were slowly invaded by the Ligurian tribes who, coming from the north, stretched their area of influence as far south as the riverArno. In 180 BC the Romans defeated the Ligurians and started colonising the Versilia (the areas known today as Massaciuccoli,Camaiore,Pietrasanta).
The most widely accepted theory recognises the city's name as deriving from theLatinVia Regis ("Kings' Road"), the name of the Medieval road linking the fortification built on the beach toLucca.
According to other historians, instead, the name derives fromVicus Regius. This theory is based on the fact that in imperial times, there was a small inhabited centre (vicus) in the area known as "Gli Ortacci" which belonged to the empire, henceregius ("Royal").
Several hillside towns started developing in theMiddle Ages, some of which are still active. The area currently hosting the city of Viareggio was still marshland and not inhabited. Around 1000 A.D. the first hostilities betweenLucca andPisa arose, aimed at gaining control over the coast of the Versila, which since the High Middle Ages had been nothing more than a forest owned by feudal lords in constant rivalry with each other.
The Burlamacca canal and the old lighthouse.
The first mention of Viareggio dates back to 1169 when a wooden tower guarding the coast was built. A little over two years later, in (1172) a military building namedTurris de Via Regia was erected, taking its name from the road that linked it to Lucca (known today as via Montramito). In the following years the area around Viareggio, was involved in the hostilities between Pisa and Lucca, in their attempt to gain control over the coastal area. The conflict was spurred by the desire of the Lucchesi to finally gain access to the sea, and to thePisane fear of the economic competition of its rival city. It is during these years that the feudal Lords of Versilia were forced to abdicate in favour ofCastruccio Castracani. In the following years the area upon which Viareggio would eventually be built was marked by a number of minor battles, invasions and pillages. In addition, the area was also affected by the pestilence which, recounted byGiovanni Boccaccio in his masterpiece theDecameron, spread throughout the whole of Italy.
In these yearsFlorence expanded its control overTuscany. Lucca, however, managed to maintain its independence in exchange for hefty financial penalties.
On September 10, 1513,Pope Leo X removed the port of Motrone from the control of Lucca. This directly affected the future of Viareggio which, from that moment, became the focus of Lucca's efforts to turn the town into its centre for commercial activities, and, in addition to the square-plan tower erected in (1534) with the aim to protect the port, several settlements started appearing.
The 17th century was perhaps one of the most difficult periods for the 300 inhabitants of Viareggio; the area was insalubrious, malaria and other deadly epidemic diseases made the lives of fishermen and farmers extremely difficult. Lucca, on the other hand, increased its efforts to drain the marshlands to improve quality of life and encouraged migration to the new town.
Slowly Viareggio changed its appearance; two small churches and as many factories were built, followed by a number of small shops. Meanwhile its port became more active, while the cultivation of the drained fields started.
In 1701 Viareggio became acomune (municipality). In 1739, thanks to the work of hydraulics engineer Bernardino Zendrini, the marshlands were finally completely drained and the town turned into a place where noblemen from Lucca came and built their palaces.
In May 1799 Viareggio was the centre of a popular uprising against theJacobin Club.
With the invasion of Italy byNapoleon the Lucchese state was turned into a principality whose sovereignty was given toFelice Baciocchi, although the real power was in the hands of Napoleon's older sister,Elisa. Elisa's government was characterised by unpopular measures such as those against the ecclesiastic patrimony. Similarly, most of her financial policies were of dubious effect, although some were welcomed by the locals, such as the adoption of the "Napoleonic Code," the adoption of the metric system, and the introduction of mandatory vaccination againstsmallpox.
With the fall of Napoleon and Baciocchi, Viareggio was the centre of several acts of violence. In March 1814 the population openly protested against the French, an event which turned into acts of pure vandalism.
Viareggio remained under the control of the Austrians until 1817 when, as part of the agreements fromCongress of Vienna,Maria Luisa of Spain was assigned the newDuchy of Lucca. The years to come would wipe out any good action that had been taken during the Napoleonic rule, although the new ruler would contribute to the town's expansion by building its firstmarina (seaside). In 1820 Viareggio obtained the status of city.
Following the death of his mother (March 13, 1824),Charles Louis of Parma took over the government of Lucca and greatly contributed to Viareggio's expansion, by building a new church, a royal casino and two beach resorts, the first ones to be built in Viareggio.
On October 5, 1847, Lucca was acquired by theGrand Duchy of Tuscany. Viareggio, in this new scenario, developed as a seaside resort for the whole of Tuscany. In 1848 the city adopted its current coat of arms. In these years Viareggio was the destination of many exiled intellectuals of the Italian Risorgimento who were tolerated by the local sovereigns.
During these years Viareggio's economy saw a very rapid expansion through its already recognised beach tourism and the newly expanding sailboat industry. Its population increased from 300 in 1740 to 6,549 in 1841.[4]
The beginning of the 20th century saw again a marked development of the coast and tourism industry, which caused a drastic change to most of the beach. ThePasseggiata or promenade was born, with its cafés and shops, contributing to turning the city into the "Pearl of the Tyrrhenian Sea." Wood was very widely used in most buildings, and in 1917, a large portion of the city was lost in fire in only one night. It was only during the fascist era that wood would finally be replaced by other materials.
DuringWorld War II Viareggio was subject to heavy bombings and entire suburbs of the city were destroyed.
After the war, the reconstruction finally began, but the city's appearance had changed dramatically. Today Viareggio is still a renowned seaside resort and is widely famous for its carnival and shipbuilding industry.
Late in the evening of June 29, 2009, a train carryingliquified petroleum gas derailed while approaching Viareggio's railway station. The ensuing explosion killed 32 people, injured many others, and destroyed a large number of homes and families near the station.[5]
The entire area of Viareggio extends over thecoastal flooding plain ofVersilia. Located on theLigurian Sea (although traditionally considered to face theTyrrhenian Sea), it has 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) of sandy beaches, of which 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) are managed by private beach resorts and the remaining 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) are public (most of the public beach is part of the Parco Naturale Regionale Migliarino-San Rossore-Massaciuccoli. Viareggio borders the local municipalities ofCamaiore,Massarosa andVecchiano) (PI).
The municipal area comprises theLake of Massaciuccoli and several canals, the most important ones of which are known as Burlamacca, Farabola, Fossa dell'Abate (bordering the municipality ofCamaiore), and Fosso Le Quindici.
The climate is characterised by high levels of humidity (between 60% and 80% of relative humidity in the summer months) and a yearly rainfall of 700 to 1,000 millimetres (28 to 39 in) as a result of the proximity of the Apuanian Alps to the coast.
The main winds blow from the southeast: theLibeccio and the Ponente, which batter the coast for two to three days in a row, cause severe storms.
During winter months (Dec-Feb), high temperatures can vary between 14–15 °C (57–59 °F) and 4–5 °C (39–41 °F), while night time temperatures can reach below 0 °C (32 °F) on average 24 times a year. In the summer (Jun-Aug), temperatures peak around 31–33 °C (88–91 °F), with the highest temperature of the year being around 35 °C (95 °F).
Climatic classification: zone D, 1416 GR/G
Atmospheric diffusivity: low, Ibimet CNR 2002
Climate data for Pisa ITA, 1991–2020, Extremes 1973-
At the beginning of the 19th century, craftsmen from Viareggio built small fishing vessels along the banks of the Burlamacca canal. As the century progressed, however, this smallshipbuilding activity prospered until it became an internationally acclaimed centre. Nowadays, Viareggio is the main luxuryyachts producing city in the world thanks to the presence ofshipyards with builders such asAzimut Benetti,Codecasa,Fipa,Rossinavi,Perini navi and many others.
The Carnival of Viareggio was established in 1873, while the now ever-presentpapier mâché – used to build the floats featured during its parades – was first introduced in 1925. The official masks of the Carnival are Burlamacco and Ondina, drawn for the first time in 1930.
Since 1954,RAI broadcasts the entire event on national TV. Since 2001, the craftsmen of the carnival have moved to the Cittadella del Carnevale or, literally, Carnival Town.
TheFestival Puccini (held inTorre del Lago Puccini) takes place every summer since 1930, between July and August, in an open-air theatre with 3,200 seats on the shore oflake Massaciuccoli. A new permanent theatre was opened in 2009.
Jazz and more..., music festival held since 2002
Festival teatro canzone – Giorgio Gaber, since 2004
Viareggio Incontri, at "Il Principino", on the Promenade.
EuropaCinema, an international film festival reserved to the European film industry. It was founded in 1984 inRimini, then moved toBari in 1988, and finally to Viareggio in 1989.
Monument to theResistance and toPeace, (largo Risorgimento). The monument is made of columns taken from the old City Hall, destroyed by the aerial bombardments of World War II, and two walls running perpendicular to each other. On one of these a mosaic fromJean-Michel Folon can be found together with a quote fromQuasimodo: "E come potevamo noi cantare con i piedi stranieri sopra il cuore?"/"And how could we sing with foreign feet trampling onto our hearts?"[8]
Two extensions to today's Burlamacca canal were built in 1577. It was on its banks that the first maritime activities developed. In 1740,Bernardino Zendrini had a water-gate built in order to prevent the sea water from reaching lake Massaciuccoli. In 1820Maria Luisa, duchess ofLucca, had the first marina of Viareggio built. It was completed in 1823 and took the name of Marina of Lucca. Between 1871 and 1873 the so-called Marina of Tuscany was built, followed by the Marina of Italy, from 1907 through to 1911.In 1938 the Marina of the Empire was also built, which was followed in the 1970s by the Marina of Viareggio (also known as the New Marina), the Marina ofLa Madonnina, and the newlighthouse. The Madonnina can host up to 500 vessels. The city hosts the localCapitaneria di Porto, and all vessels registered here bear the marking VG.
