Visit Pietrasanta, a city of art and fashion: a source of inspiration for Mason's. Enjoy a romantic dinner and experience the magic of this city

Today Mason’s is strongly connected to Italianity and the preciousness of its origin territory, which includes Liguria and Tuscany, characterized by unique landscapes, art cities, millennia-old history, and good food.

The company's origin is indeed tied to Carrara, a city in Tuscany on the border with Liguria, suspended between the sea and the mountains, known worldwide for the production and trade of marble. Over the years, the company has increasingly bonded with the surrounding territory and the realities that distinguish it, managing to establish lasting friendships and solid collaborations. Mason’s is not only connected to the beauty of Italian nature but also to the eternal luxury of certain historical locations: Renaissance villas and art objects continually inspire the search for a timeless elegance, where luxury becomes an aesthetic experience combining art, design, and innovation.

One of the cities most loved by Mason's for its history and cultural heritage is undoubtedly the town of Pietrasanta, located in the province of Lucca in the hinterland of Versilia, a famous seaside resort. Today's article is intended as a tribute to this wonderful land and to celebrate the main places and important figures that have inspired Mason's creative flair.

Pietrasanta, from its military origins to today

Pietrasanta, an ancient city of medieval origin, is considered the historical capital of Versilia and the capital of artistic marble processing. It was founded around 1255 by a Milanese nobleman named Guiscardo da Pietrasanta, lord of the province of Lucca, who gave it its name and coat of arms. At the time, Pietrasanta was considered the first example of planned urban development in Tuscany and became important due to its strategic position near the port of Motrone, which subjected it to foreign domination by Pisan, Genoese, Florentine, and French powers.

Today the town has a strong tourist vocation thanks to the seaside resort of Marina di Pietrasanta, the charm of its mountains, and the beauty of its historic center, characterized by marble workshops, renowned bronze foundries, artistic workshops, and art galleries that produce artworks appreciated worldwide. Furthermore, the city is also known for being the birthplace of the famous poet Giosuè Carducci, Nobel Prize winner for literature, in Valdicastello, a district of Pietrasanta.

Now, let's discover Mason's favorite places, which have become sources of inspiration and have also been used for several photo shoots to highlight the most iconic pieces of their collections.

Fondazione Centro Arti Visive di Pietrasanta

The Fondazione Centro Arti Visive Pietrasanta (CAVP) aims to promote Higher Education in the artistic field and to develop, produce, and manage initiatives related to contemporary art and culture in its many forms, while also enhancing the technical-artistic knowledge expressed in the area. The institution was created by the Ministry of Education, the University and Research, and was founded by the Municipality of Pietrasanta, the Academy of Fine Arts of Carrara, and the Artigianart Association of Pietrasanta, who chose the Convent of San Francesco from the 16th century as its headquarters.

The center has attracted world-renowned artists for years, who constantly interact with local workshops and artisans, creating international-level projects. Here, Mason's had the opportunity to visit the workshops and observe the artists at work, learning about their work and style. Thus, a marble sculpture workshop was transformed into an inspirational location for a photo shoot, where models posed among tools, multifunction machines, and marble statues.

Galleria Futura in the center of Pietrasanta

A few meters from the Duomo di San Martino, Mason's had the honor of being hosted inside the Futura Art Gallery. This gallery was established in 2018 from the experience of two complementary entities: the new contemporary art gallery inherited the exhibition space of Fienilarte by Augusto Palermo and, under the artistic direction of Claudio Francesconi, also continues the path of his previous project, Gestalt Gallery. In particular, it inherits from Fienilarte the social and informal approach, always attentive to the visitor's entertainment and complete comfort in the exhibition space, while from Gestalt Gallery it inherits the attitude of discovering new talents on the national and international scene.

The gallery's goal is to strongly distance itself from the widely held concept of an art gallery as a showroom or pure shop: for Alberto Palermo, art must be something sacred and fundamentally cultural, able to involve the visitor, who in turn becomes a protagonist and part of the entire project. Thus, the exhibition space becomes a place of entertainment, where Mason's not only talked about art but also had fun and was pleasantly surprised by the various artistic languages hosted by the gallery.

Why visit Pietrasanta

Pietrasanta is undoubtedly one of the tourist attractions you cannot miss during a trip to Tuscany. The city is a true open-air museum where you can admire, among galleries and squares, a continuous and constantly renewed exhibition of contemporary art and high-level sculpture: it is no coincidence that the town has earned the nickname Little Athens and has been chosen several times by Mason's as a place of inspiration.

We leave you with a poem by Giosuè Carducci, hoping that his words will accompany you through the streets of this art city:

"Quel che mi piace è Pietrasanta:
bellissima cittadina, con piazza unica,
una cattedrale da grande città,
e, sfondo, le Alpi Apuane.
E che paese all'intorno!
che monti, che verde,
che ombre, che fiumi,
che ruscelli risonanti freschi di castagni
e gli olivi fra il verde!
Qui vorrei condurti, mia povera dolorosa:
qui staresti un po' bene da vero."

What are you waiting for? Don't waste any more time and enjoy your romantic candlelight dinner in this wonderful city!