Things to do in Massa

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Leaning Tower of Pisa

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is an iconic building in Italy, located in the Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa. It is a freestanding bell tower of the Pisa Cathedral and, together with the adjacent cathedral, baptistery, and cemetery, forms a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tower has a cylindrical appearance and is constructed of white marble. Its structure leans toward the southeast at an angle of approx. 4 degrees. Construction of the leaning tower began in 1173, though the foundation bears a Latin inscription marking the start year as 1174, because the calendar used in Pisa at the time was one year ahead of the Gregorian calendar. Construction was halted multiple times due to uneven foundations and soft soil layers, and it was not declared complete until the bell chamber was finished in 1372, spanning nearly two hundred years. The tower has eight levels in total: the base level features a blind arcade, while the remaining levels are surrounded by open arcades, with more than two hundred arches in total. The base wall is carved with reliefs, and the top level is a belfry housing seven bells. Climbing the tower is the core experience of visiting the Leaning Tower. The spiral staircase inside has nearly three hundred steps, and as you ascend the narrow stairs, the tower's tilt creates a subtle illusion of being on a ship. Upon reaching the top, the view suddenly opens up, allowing you to overlook the entire Piazza dei Miracoli and the city of Pisa. The interior of the tower is hollow, and through the glass on the top floor, you can see directly down to the bottom. Some steps are quite smooth, so visitors need to watch their footing when climbing. On the square, visitors are often seen stretching out their arms and striking various creative poses for photos with the Leaning Tower, which has become a unique travel memory exclusive to Pisa.

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Piazza del Duomo

The Miracle Square is the top priority of visiting Pisa. The four major buildings on the square - the Cathedral of Pisa, the Baptistery, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the cemetery are all artistic masterpieces in the history of architecture. The square was one of the centers of the essence of medieval art and had a profound influence on subsequent architectural design, and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987. The square takes its name from a description in a novel by the Italian writer and poet Gabriel D'Annunzio. The Pisa Cathedral in the center of the Pisa Cathedral Square was built in the 12th century AD and is a masterpiece of medieval Romanesque architecture. The mosaic decoration inside the church is mixed with Byzantine style, forming its unique "Pisa Romanesque style". Opposite the Baptistery of Pisa Cathedral is the Baptistery, which mixes Romanesque and Gothic styles. You can visit the middle of the Baptistery along the spiral staircase inside the Baptistery. The cylindrical structure, double dome and white marble make the interior of the baptistery even more beautiful. Leaning Tower of Pisa Behind the Leaning Tower of Pisa is the well-known Leaning Tower of Pisa, which itself is the bell tower of the cathedral. In the early stage of construction, the leaning tower tilted an average of 1 mm per year, and the work was stopped for a while, and the repair work has continued to this day. The rectangular building next to the Pisa Cemetery Church is the Pisa Cemetery. The tombstones, sculptures and frescoes on the cloister are also worth seeing. In addition, there is a tourist rest area on the large lawn of Miracle Square, where you can take various photos with the Leaning Tower of Pisa, buy souvenirs and snacks.

Carrarafiere

Pontile di Marina di Massa

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Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre is located on the Riviera Ligure and consists of five fishing villages built on cliffs: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Travel between the villages is mainly by coastal railway, ferry, and hiking trails, which has helped preserve the old appearance of the fishing villages: red, yellow, orange, and pink houses are stacked layer by layer along the steep slopes, extending all the way to the rocks by the sea. Each of the five villages has its own highlights: Monterosso al Mare is nestled in a bay and features a rare, expansive sandy beach in this area, perfect for swimming; Vernazza embraces a natural small harbor, and looking down from the Ruins of Doria Tower on the heights behind the village, the entire bay is in full view; Corniglia is the only village of the five that is not directly on the sea, sitting alone on a cliff top about 100m high; the colorful houses of Manarola are embedded in dark rocks, and at dusk, the village and the sea in the same frame make for a classic photo opportunity; Riomaggiore is located at the southern end of the five villages, with its main street sloping down to a harbor filled with small boats. The hillsides also hide another aspect of this coastline: over hundreds of years, ancestors built extensive dry-stone walls on the steep slopes and created layers of terraces to grow grapes, turning the cliffs into arable land. The sweet wine Sciacchetrà, made from air-dried grapes, is produced in small quantities and is a representative local sweet wine; paired with Monterosso al Mare anchovies, Genoese-style pesto, and focaccia, it makes for an authentic Ligurian seafood meal. The classic coastal hiking route connecting the villages offers an overlook of the entire colorful coastline from above the cliffs.

Cava Museo Fantiscritti

Parco Alpi Apuane

Spiaggia Libera Fossa Maestra

Forte dei Marmi Pier

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Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

• Known as the main church of the Catholic Archdiocese of Florence and the third largest church in the world • Consisting of the main church, bell tower and baptistery, it is not only large in scale, but also a representative building of the entire early Renaissance • The cathedral has a 19th-century Gothic Revival-style facade. Its exterior is paved with marble blocks of different shades of white, green and pink. The colors are colorful and harmonious △ In 1982, the cathedral was listed as a World Cultural Heritage as part of the historical center of Florence. After entering the church, you can climb up to the dome from the small door on the side. You need to climb 463 steps, and then overlook the entire city of Florence. △ The bell tower of the church is a Gothic building, 85 meters high. It consists of a six-story square structure stacked upward into a column. The outer wall is paved with white marble, which is pure and elegant, bringing more momentum to the majestic church.