Stage 10
Viareggio > Massa TUDOR ITT
The Versilia seafront
Viareggio
The Versilia seafront, the main stage of the time trial, might suggest to first-time visitors a scene of deck chairs, umbrellas, and long stretches of sand. Is that all? Absolutely not.
Guests realize it immediately by strolling along Viareggio’s promenade, lined with elegant Liberty-style buildings and historic beach clubs that once hosted unforgettable parties. Also worth visiting are the Museum of Maritime History and the GAMC – Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, which houses a permanent collection of over three thousand works. Then we reach the Darsena, where stunning yachts can be admired. No surprise: Viareggio is a global reference point for shipbuilding, with yards producing luxury yachts sought after around the world. But the most original visit is to the Carnival Citadel, the largest thematic center in Italy dedicated to masks and the place where the extraordinary floats that have animated Viareggio’s carnival parades for 150 years are created. Shortly after the start, riders will pass near Torre del Lago Puccini, the village overlooking Lake Massaciuccoli where the legendary Italian composer lived for 30 years. Visiting his home offers a deeply moving immersion into art and music, enriched by the many furnishings and personal objects that belonged to Puccini himself.
Massa
Returning to the seafront, the route reaches Marina di Pietrasanta, home to the vast Versiliana Park, long considered a peaceful oasis along the lively Versilia coast. Within its 80 hectares shaded by maritime pines, oaks, and holm oaks, the focal point is Villa Versiliana, loved by Gabriele D’Annunzio and today the heart of a summer festival featuring leading names in music, theater, and dance. In Forte dei Marmi, fans cannot miss a walk along the historic pier that stretches 275 meters into the sea. It is also the perfect spot to admire the Apuan Alps, which frame the entire coastline and are famous worldwide for the quality of their marble. This has been the case for centuries - Michelangelo himself visited these quarries to select the finest blocks for his sculptures.
Just before the finish line on the seafront, a brief detour inland leads to the center of Massa, dominated by the Malaspina Castle, which can also be reached on foot via ancient stairways and narrow alleys. In the town center, the imposing Ducal Palace and the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Francis, built in the mid-15th century, are not to be missed. On the outskirts, within the elegant setting of the 17th-century Villa Rinchiostra, lies the Guadagnucci Museum, dedicated to the sculptor, his works, and the art of marble carving.
