Massa (; ) is a town and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' in

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

, central

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, the administrative centre of the

province of Massa and Carrara The province of Massa-Carrara ( it, provincia di Massa-Carrara) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Tuscany region of central Italy. It is named after the provincial capital Massa, Tuscany, Massa, and Carrara, the other main town in the prov ...

. It is located in the

Frigido The Frigido is a short river in Tuscany, central Italy, whose course of 17 km is entirely included in the province of Massa-Carrara. It starts from two branches, one having its source in the Monte Sagro and Monte Rasore (Apuan Alps), the othe ...

River Valley, near the

Alpi Apuane The Apuan Alps ( it, Alpi Apuane) are a mountain range in northern Tuscany, Italy. They are included between the valleys of the Serchio and Magra rivers, and, to the northwest, the Garfagnana and Lunigiana, with a total length of approximately . ...

, from the

Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (; it, Mar Tirreno , french: Mer Tyrrhénienne , sc, Mare Tirrenu, co, Mari Tirrenu, scn, Mari Tirrenu, nap, Mare Tirreno) is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenian pe ...

History

Massa is mentioned for the first time in the

Tabula Peutingeriana ' (Latin Language, Latin for "The Peutinger Map"), also referred to as Peutinger's Tabula or Peutinger Table, is an illustrated ' (ancient Roman road map) showing the layout of the ''cursus publicus'', the road network of the Roman Empire. The m ...

, a 2nd-4th century AD itinerary, with the name ''ad Tabernas frigidas'', referring perhaps to a stage on the Via Aemilia Scauri consular road from Pisa to Luni. From the 15th to the 19th century, Massa was the capital of the independent Principate (later Duchy) of Massa and Carrara, ruled by the Malaspina and

Cybo-Malaspina The House of Cybo, Cibo or Cibei of Italy was the name of an old and influential aristocratic family from Genoa of Greek origin that ruled the Duchy of Massa and Carrara. History They came to the city in the 12th century. In 1528 the Cybos fo ...

families. Massa is the first recorded town in Europe in which the magnetic needle

compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...

was used in mines to map them and determine the extent of various mine owners' properties. In 1829 the states were inherited by

Francis IV, Duke of Modena Francis IV Joseph Charles Ambrose Stanislaus (Italian: ''Francesco IV Giuseppe Carlo Ambrogio Stanislao d'Asburgo-Este''; 6 October 1779 – 21 January 1846) was Duke of Modena, Reggio, and Mirandola (from 1815), Duke of Massa and Prince of Carr ...

. In 1859, during the

unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century Political movement, political and social movement that resulted in the Merger (politics), consolidation of List of historic stat ...

process, it joined the

Kingdom of Sardinia The Kingdom of Sardinia,The name of the state was originally Latin: , or when the kingdom was still considered to include Corsica. In Italian it is , in French , in Sardinian , and in Piedmontese . also referred to as the Kingdom of Savoy-S ...

Geography

Located in south of the province, near the borders with the

Province of Lucca The province of Lucca ( it, provincia di Lucca) is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Lucca. It has an area of and a total population of about 390,000. There are 33 ''comuni'' (singular: ''comune'') in the pro ...

, Massa is a coastal town by the

. The municipality borders with

Carrara Carrara ( , ; , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, in central Italy, of the province of Massa and Carrara, and notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some Boxing the compass, west-northwest o ...

Fivizzano Fivizzano is a ''comune'' in the province of Massa and Carrara, Tuscany, central Italy. History It became part of the Republic of Florence in the 15th century thus gaining the Tuscan republic an important foothold in Lunigiana, a key region which ...

Minucciano Minucciano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Lucca in the Italian region Tuscany, located about northwest of Florence and about northwest of Lucca. Minucciano borders the following municipalities: Camporgiano, Casola in Lunigiana ...

(LU),

Montignoso Montignoso is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Massa and Carrara in the Italian region Tuscany, located about northwest of Florence and about southeast of Massa. Montignoso borders the following municipalities: Forte dei Marmi, Ma ...

Seravezza Seravezza is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Lucca, in northern Tuscany, Italy. It is located in Versilia, close to the Apuan Alps. Neighboring municipalities *Forte dei Marmi *Massa *Montignoso *Pietrasanta * Stazzema Patron saints Sera ...

(LU),

Stazzema Stazzema is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Lucca in the Italian region Tuscany, located about northwest of Florence and about northwest of Lucca. History During World War II, the village of Sant'Anna di Stazzema was the site of ...

(LU) and

Vagli Sotto Vagli Sotto is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Lucca in the Italian region of Tuscany, located about northwest of Florence and about northwest of Lucca. Sotto borders the following municipalities: Camporgiano, Careggine, Massa, Mi ...

(LU).

''Frazioni''

Massa counts several hamlets (''

frazioni A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Fascist era (1922–1943) as ...

''): Altagnana, Alteta, Antona, Baita, Bargana, Bergiola, Bondano, Borgo del Ponte, Bozzone, Ca' di Cecco, Caglieglia, Campareccia, Canevara, Capaccola, Casania, , Casone, Castagnara, Castagnetola, Castagnola, Cervara, Cinque Vie, Ciremea, Codupino, Cupido, Forno, La Gioconda, Gotara, Gronda, Grondini, Guadine, Le Iare, Lavacchio, Marina di Massa, Mirteto, Monte Pepe, Ortola, Pariana, Partaccia, Pian della Fioba, Poggi, Poggiolo, Poggioletto, il Ponte, Poveromo, Poveromo Macchie, Pratta, Puliche, Quercioli, Redicesi, Remola, Resceto, Ricortola, Rinchiostra, Rocca, Romagnano, Ronchi, San Carlo Terme, San Cristoforo, San Leonardo, San Lorenzo, Santa Lucia, Il Santo, Sei ponti, Turano, Vergheto, Le Villette, Volpigliano, Zecca.

Economy

The Massa area is of high touristic value and also hosts a concentration of some 600 industrial and craft activities, located within the so-called Apuan Industrial Zone, with a direct employment of more than 7,000 people. Together with the twin town of

, Massa is known for the extraction and production of

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...

Government

Main sights

Massa's sights include: *

Malaspina castle The Malaspina Castle is located in Massa, Italy. It crowns the top of a rocky hill and dominates the wide underlying plain and part of the Tyrrhenian coast. From the 17th century the main purpose of the castle was military and it served as a ...

(15th century), overlooking the city from a hill * Ducal Palace, Renaissance palace on the Piazza Aranci * The Cathedral *Piazza degli Aranci *Piazza Mercurio *Marina di Massa * Orto Botanico delle Alpi Apuane "Pietro Pellegrini" is a mountain

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

maintained by the city.

Transport

;Buses Consorzio Apuano Trasporti, also known as CAT, was the company that, since 1 January 1969, managed the local public transport by road in the province of

Massa-Carrara The province of Massa-Carrara ( it, provincia di Massa-Carrara) is a province in the Tuscany region of central Italy. It is named after the provincial capital Massa, and Carrara, the other main town in the province. History The province of "Ma ...

. CAT went bankrupt in 2009 and was taken over by Autolinee Toscana Nord ATN. On 1 February 2015 ATN leased its management branch, vehicles, staff and facilities to

CTT Nord Compagnia Toscana Trasporti Nord, also known as CTT Nord, was a public transport company established on 22 October 2012, with corporate office in Pisa and operational offices in Livorno, Prato, Lucca and Massa Carrara. It was formed after a long p ...

until the end of the contract for the local public transport of the Tuscany. CTT Nord together with

VaiBus Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one o ...

in 2017 extended its stay as a concessioner of ATN until 31 December 2019, from 1 January 2020 leased its management branch to

RATP Dev RATP may refer to: Transportation: * RATP Group, or ', a public transport operator based in Paris, France * RATP Iași (), a transit operator responsible for public transportation in Iași, Romania * RATP Ploiești (), a transit operator responsib ...

, a company of the French RATP group, awarding the contract for local public transport by road of the Tuscany Region. ;Train Massa Centro railway station, opened in 1862, forms part of the Pisa–La Spezia–Genoa railway. ;Motorway The city is connected to Autostrada A12 and the national highway " SS 1 Aurelia". ;Airport Massa-Cinquale Airport (

IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is a trade association of the world's airlines founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff ...

: QMM,

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...

: LILQ) is a

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

airport located in the neighboring village of Cinquale. ;Tramway From 1890 to 1932 Massa counted on a railway line from Marina to Forno and, from 1922 to 1975, a monorail serving a marble quarry named Lizza di Piastreta.

Sister cities

Massa is twinned with: *

Bad Kissingen Bad Kissingen is a German spa town in the Bavarian region of Lower Franconia and seat of the district Bad Kissingen. Situated to the south of the Rhön Mountains on the Franconian Saale river, it is one of the health resorts, which be ...

, Germany, since 1960 * Vernon, France, *

Nowy Sącz Nowy Sącz (; hu, Újszandec; yi, Tzanz, צאַנז; sk, Nový Sonč; german: Neu-Sandez) is a city in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship of southern Poland. It is the district capital of Nowy Sącz County as a separate administrative unit. It has ...

, Poland, since 2007

References

Sources

External links

Massa official website
* {{Authority control Cities and towns in Tuscany Coastal towns in Tuscany Municipalities of the Province of Massa-Carrara