GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Located at 10 km from the sea, lies down in a valley which make the green of the
olive trees and the mediterranean wood its own characteristic, surrounded by the
south Apuane (Prana, Matanna and Gabberi) that close it at north-east and north-west,
from the Montemagno hill that close it at east-south-east and by the Pedona hills
that close it at south-south-west. Crossed by the provincial road that starts
from Viareggio and after having reached it, it climbs up on the Montemagno and
then going through the Val Freddana reaches Lucca. The distance to Lucca is 27
kilometres (province capital), 12 from Viareggio, 8 from Pietrasanta and 9 from
Massarosa. It is connected with bus lines directly with Viareggio, Pietrasanta
and Lucca. In Lido di Camaiore there is a little railway station served by local
trains. The exit from the A11 and A12 highways are at 8km from the centre. The
historic centre has about 4.000 inhabitants and is based on the commerce and some
crafts laboratories. The inhabitants of the municipality are about 30.600. The
territory is 84,50 square kilometres and is composed by 25 hamlets, of which the
most important are Lido di Camaiore and Capezzano. From the town depart several
roads that connect the villages that lye on the hills surrounding the valley,
and a large system of paths that allow excursions both on the Apuane and in the
middle coast, which make you reach the several villages.
The town has a perpendicular structure, which is the characteristic the "foundation
cities" built between the XI and the XIII century. The original look with
part of the walls is still there to be a characteristic of the town, from the
urban spaces designed inside a long rectangle. The origin of the name doesn't
make everybody agree. The most credited name is "Campo Majore" it means
Campo Maggiore.