| Name | Viareggio |
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| Official name | Città di Viareggio |
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| Image shield | Viareggio-Stemma.png |
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| Region | Tuscany |
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| Province | Lucca (LU) |
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| Frazioni | Torre del Lago Puccini |
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| Mayor | Luca Lunardini (since April 2008) |
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| Area total km2 | 31.88 |
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| Population total | 64192 |
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| Population as of | November 2009 |
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| Population demonym | Viareggini, Torrelaghesi |
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| Elevation m | 2 |
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| Saint | Maria Santissima Annunziata |
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| Day | March 25 |
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| Postal code | 55049, 55048 |
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| Area code | 0584 |
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| Website | |
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Viareggio () is a city and
comune located in northern
Tuscany,
Italy, on the coast of the
Ligurian Sea. With a population of over 64,000 it is the main centre of the northern Tuscan Riviera known as
Versilia, and the second largest city within the
Province of Lucca.
It is known as a seaside resort as well as being the home of the famous carnival of Viareggio (dating back to 1873), and its papier-mâché floats, which (since 1925), parade along the promenade known as "Passeggiata a mare", in the weeks preceding Easter. The symbol of the carnival of Viareggio and its official mask is Burlamacco, designed and invented by Uberto Bonetti in 1930.
The city traces its roots back to the first half of the 16th century when it became the only gate to the sea for the Republic of Lucca. The oldest building in Viareggio, known as Torre Matilde, dates back to this time and was built by the Lucchesi in 1541 as a defensive fortification to fight the constant manace of corsair incursions.
Viareggio is also an active industrial and manufacturing centre; its shipbuilding industry has long been renowned around the world and its fishing and floricultural industries are still fundamental sectors to the city’s economy.
Viareggio hosts the Premio letterario Viareggio Répaci for literature, established in 1929. Amongst the other events organized around the year, it is worth mentioning the Festival Gaber, which has been held every August since 2004 to celebrate the memory of Giorgio Gaber, and is attended by several high-profile Italian musicians.
Because of the long-lasting rivalry between Viareggio and Lucca, the Lucchesi refer to Viareggio as Marina di Lucca ("Lucca's Seaside"). On the other hand, the people of Viareggio have made the most out of their carnivalesque spirit by writing several songs which ridicule their neighbours from Lucca.
History
Ancient and medieval ages
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 river
Arno. 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 the Latin Via Regis ("Kings' Road"), the name of the Medieval road linking the fortification built on the beach to Lucca.
According to other historians, instead, the name derives from Vicus 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, hence regius ("Royal").
Several hillside towns started developing in the Middle Ages, several of which are still active. The area currently hosting the city of Viareggio, was still marshland and was not inhabited. Around 1000 A.D. started the first hostilities between Lucca and Pisa aimed at gaining control over the coast of the Versila which, since the High Middle Ages had been nothing more than a wood owned by feudal Lords in constant rivalry with each other.
The first mention of Viareggio dates back to 1169 when a wooden tower guarding coast was built. A little over two years later, in (1172) a military building named Turris 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 and 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 the Pisane 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 of Castruccio 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 by Giovanni Boccaccio in his masterpiece the Decameron, spread throughout the whole of Italy.
15th-17th century
In these years
Florence expanded its control over
Tuscany. 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. Such event will directly affect 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.
18th and 19th centuries
In 1701 Viareggio became a
comune (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 would come and build their palaces.
In May 1799 Viareggio was the centre of a popular uprising against the Jacobins.
With the invasion of Italy by Napoleon the Lucchese state was turned into a principality whose sovereignty was given to Felice 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, the introduction of mandatory vaccination against smallpox.
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 from Congress of Vienna, Mary Louia of Spain was assigned the new Duchy 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 the town’s expansion by building its first marina (seaside). In 1820 Viareggio obtained the status of city.
Following the death of his mother (13 March 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 the Grand 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.
20th century
The beginning of the 20th century saw again a marked development of the coast and tourism industry which determined a drastic change to most of the beach. The
Passeggiata 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 building 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.
During World War II Viareggio was subject to heavy bombings and entire suburbs of the city were destroyed.
After the war, the reconstruction could finally begin, but the city had changed its appearance dramatically. Today Viareggio is still a renowned seaside resort and is widely famous for its carnival and shipbuilding industry.
21st century
Late in the evening of 29 June 2009, a train carrying
liquified petroleum gas derailed while approaching Viareggio's railway station. The ensuing explosion killed 31 people, injured many others, and destroyed a large number of homes and families near the station.Ch'è rumore, ch'è follia,l'universa frenesiache rinascere ci fa.
Hail the Carnivalsuch fun, such madness,this universal frenzythat makes us all reborn.''| from "Il Carnevale a Viareggio" (Su la coppa di champagne), L. Maffei}}
Unanimously considered the most important carnival celebration of Italy and Europe. It was born in 1873, and the now ever-present papier mâché - used to build the famous floats - 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.
Prizes
Premio letterario Viareggio Repaci, a literary award founded in 1929 by Leonida Rèpaci, Alberto Colantuoni and Carlo Salsa.
Premio internazionale Artiglio.
Premio Sport Città di Viareggio.
Premio Viareggio Sport.
Musical events
Festival Puccini (held in Torre del Lago Puccini). It takes place every summer since 1930, between July and August, in an open-air theatre with 3,200 seats on the shore of lake Massaciuccoli. A new permanent theatre was opened in 2009.
Jazz and more..., music festival held since 2002 at the City of Carnival.
Festival teatro canzone - Giorgio Gaber, since 2004 has been held at the City of Carnival.
Cultural events
Viareggio Incontri, at "Il Principino", on the Promenade.
Festival EuropaCinema
EuropaCinema is an international film festival reserved to the European film industry. It has been founded in 1984 in
Rimini, it was then moved to
Bari in 1988, and finally to Viareggio in 1989.
Main sights
Villa Orlandi
Villa Borbone (between Viareggio and Torre del Lago Puccini).
Villa Puccini, Museum.
Monument to the
Resistance and to
Peace, (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 from
Folon can be found together with a quote from
Quasimodo: "E come potevamo noi cantare con i piedi stranieri sopra il cuore?"/"And how could we sing with foreign feet trampling onto our hearts?"
Administrative subdivisions
Viareggio has a single
frazione,
Torre del Lago Puccini, having a population of around 11,000.
The city itself is subdivided into four Circoscrizioni:
Circoscrizione no. 1: Torre del Lago Puccini.
Circoscrizione no. 2: Centro Marco Polo.
Circoscrizione no. 3: Darsena/ex Campo d'Aviazione.
Circoscrizione no. 4: Viareggio Nuova.
Coat of arms
The current coat of arms was chosen in 1848 and replaces the previous one dating back to 1752, which showed an image of
Saint 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 the tricolore (later to become the official flag of the unified Italy) for its coat of arm; even before Italy was officially unified.
Twinned cities
Viareggio is twinned with the following cities:
Bastia,
France
Kunshan,
People's Republic of China
Opole,
Poland
Palmi,
Italy
San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy
Bridgeport, United States
Famous people linked to Viareggio
Inigo Campioni (1878–1944), soldier and politician
Pierluigi Collina, football referee
Marco Columbro, presenter and actor
Beppe Domenici, (1924–2008), Carnival floats designer and builder, painter, ceramist
Eugenio Fascetti, football manager
Arnaldo Galli, Carnival floats designer and builder
Marcello Lippi, football manager, winner of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Nicola Luisotti, orchestra director
Mario Monicelli, film director
Lelio Passaglia, Cardiologist
Andrea Puccinelli, governor of Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil
Stefania Sandrelli, actress
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822), English poet and writer who died here
Mario Tobino (1910–1991), doctor, poet and writer.
Maria Valtorta, writer and mystic
See also
2009 Viareggio derailment
Carnival of Viareggio
Festival Puccini
Football Club Esperia Viareggio
Premio letterario Viareggio Repaci
Torneo Mondiale Giovanile di Calcio "Coppa Carnevale"
Versilia
References
Sources
History
Buildings
Religion
Other
External links
Comune di Viareggio , the official website of the municipality of Viareggio
Site with information about the city and a small dictionary about the local dialect
Site hosted by the "Carnevalari" Association, with news and historical information about Viareggio and its carnival
Viareggio , from the site www.aboutversilia.com
Viareggio , from the site www.versilia.org
Viareggio from the holidaying site www.vacanzeinversilia.com
Category:Cities and towns in Tuscany
Category:Carnival cities and towns
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