Massarosa

Massarosa
Comune di Massarosa
View of the hamlet of Stiava
Massarosa
Location of Massarosa in Italy
Massarosa
Massarosa (Tuscany)
Coordinates: 43°52′N 10°20′E / 43.867°N 10.333°E / 43.867; 10.333
CountryItaly
RegionTuscany
ProvinceLucca (LU)
FrazioniBargecchia, Bozzano, Compignano, Corsanico, Gualdo, Massaciuccoli, Montigiano, Mommio (Castello), Piano di Conca, Piano di Mommio, Piano del Quercione, Pieve a Elici, Quiesa, Stiava, Valpromano
Government
 • MayorSimona Barsotti
Area
 • Total
68.27 km2 (26.36 sq mi)
Elevation
10 m (33 ft)
Population
 (31 December 2025)[2]
 • Total
21,782
 • Density319.1/km2 (826.4/sq mi)
DemonymMassarosesi
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
55040, 55054
Dialing code0584
Patron saintSaint James the Greater
Saint day25 July
WebsiteOfficial website

Massarosa is a comune (municipality) in the province of Lucca, Tuscany, Italy and separated from Viareggio on 18 December 1869, becoming an autonomous municipality with all the hilly hamlets and the nearby flat territories.[3].

Physical geography, landscape and fauna

The municipality is characterised by the immediate transition from the coastal lakeside environment, protected by nature reserves, to the pre-Apennine hills. Olive growing, cereal growing and winemaking activities are established there. In the Montramito area, on the border with Viareggio, there are large manufacturing, shipbuilding and advanced technology companies, united in the Montramito Consortium.

It is home to Lake Massaciuccoli, itself part of the Migliarino, San Rossore, Massaciuccoli Natural Park. The lake occupies a large depression created by the formation of the Apennine mountain range and represents the advanced stage of an ancient coastal lagoon, which was sealed off by the advance of the Versilia coastline. The black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) nests near the lake in spring.[4]

In the summer of 2022 a forest fire broke out in the hills late on Monday evening, July 18th, which forced fifty people to evacuate their homes and with approximately 100 hectares burned.[5]

History

The name Massarosa most likely derives from the name of the medieval settlement of Germanic origin that once stood there. The ancient name "Massa Grausi" is thought to derive from the union of "massa," a vast agricultural estate, and "Grauso," the name of the Lombard landowner. Documents have also been found attesting to the presence of a curtis, with all its annexes, at the end of the 10th century. Much older archaic settlements also existed in the same area.[6]

Culture

Events

The city hosts Massarosa International Piano Competition.[7]

Sister cities

Massarosa is twinned with:

See also

References

  1. ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Quando Viareggio perse Massarosa e i suoi paesi". www.iltirreno.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  4. ^ "La Fauna". Oasi Lipu Massaciuccoli (in Italian). Retrieved 2022-07-03.
  5. ^ Roscoe, Matthew (19 July 2022). "HUGE fire rages in Massarosa (Lucca) Italy as evacuations continue". Euro Weekly News. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  6. ^ "Storia". www.comune.massarosa.lu.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  7. ^ "Massarosa International Piano Competition". associazionemusicalemassarosa.eu. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  • Proloco Massarosa (in Italian)
  • Media related to Massarosa at Wikimedia Commons
  • Geographic data related to Massarosa at OpenStreetMap