Terra di Toscana www.terraditoscana.com

Towns of the area

28 / 35

Seravezza

Town web Hotels Farmholidays Restaurants

Inhabitants in 1991: 12.731

The Seravezza territory in the Versilia, extends for 39,37 square kilometres at the foot of a spur of the coastal slopes of the Alpi Apuane. The centre is situated at the influx of the Serra and Vezza which form the River Versilia.

Seravezza called Sala Vetitia in a document of the X century, Sala Vecchia in the Lucca Annals of Tolomeo and Seravetitia in certain papers of 1368 and 1375, was originally the dominion the Lords of Corvaia and Vallecchia, by an investiture of Emperor Federico II. Destroyed in 1269 by the Lucca militia, it was joined, with its territory, to the Vicariate of Pietrasanta. Later devastated by the unruly Fiorentine solders captained by Rinaldo degli Albizzi and Astorre Gianni (1429), from 1430 Seravezza was governed by Genova, to whom Lucca had pledged the fortresses of Pietrasanta and Motrone with all their districts. It came under the power of Firenze in 1484 and then in 1496 Piero dei Medici consigned it with Pietransta to Carlo VIII, in 1498 the town was sold to Lucca, who retained it until 1513 when a ruling of Leone X assigned Seravezza to the Mediceo State. During the Nazi occupation, the population of the municipality suffered atrocious reprisals by several divisions of the SS who had established their general quarters in the Villa Henraux obligatory path for those going up or down the high Versilia. From there in fact the Germans proceeded in the systematic destruction of the districts of Ripa, Corvaia the neighbourhoods of Fucina and Monte Altissimo in Seravezza, capturing and torturing numerous civilians, then barbarously killing them. The town is the birth place of the writer Enrico Pea (1881-1958).

Places to visit:
Palazzo Mediceo, constructed in 1555 by Bartolomeo Annammati, desired by Cosimo I as summer residence. Today it is the museum.
SS. Annunziata, church erected in 1400 but remodelled after the second world war. Under the portico of the façade is a precious basso relievo of a Madonna col Bambino.

Historical info reproduced upon authorization of Regione Toscana - Dipartimento della Presidenza E Affari Legislativi e Giuridici
Translated by Ann Mountford


Terraditoscana © Polimedia - All rights reserved
Press registration n. 5528 10/11/2006 - Editor Polimedia - P.IVA 06790950486