GENERAL DESCRIPTION
It is the biggest and most populated municipality capital of Versilia. The town
covers almost the territory of the municipality, if you exclude a large green
area that divides it from the only hamlet, Torre del Lago. It borders at south
with Vecchiano, at east with Massarosa, which shares the Massaciuccoli lake, at
north-east with Camaiore and at west with the Tyrrenian sea. It is at 12km from
Camaiore, 20km from Lucca and 24km from Pisa. It is connected with the various
cities of Tuscany by a system of highways and by the railway, besides of regular
bus lines; these connect it also with the other municipalities of Versilia.
It has an harbour both for the pleasure boats and the small commercial units,
and from which depart a remarkable fishing fleet. The town's most antique part
is from the XII century, has developed during the last century, up to reaching
the actual dimensions which are remarkable. In fact it counts 60.000 inhabitants
and the economy based on the tourism, on the commerce, on the craftmanship, on
the fishing and on the shipyards construction. Also at the outskirts, these is
a florid agricultural industry. The origin of the name became from the path of
the middle valley Via Regia, that covered the coastline passing from the territory
where now the town has been built.