Massa: Historic Center, Piazzetta and Red Marble

Townscape and Cultural Connections in Massa Sassorosso

The historic center, the streets lined with old buildings, the church and the places associated with Astor Piazzolla offer various points of interest for planning your trip. The parish church of Massa Sassorosso is dedicated to the archangel Saint Michael, San Michele Arcangelo. San Michele Arcangelo is the Italian name for this patron saint of the church.

Historic Center and Notable Squares

The historic center of Massa Sassorosso is well worth seeing.

Massa Sassorosso is home to the small square known as “Largo Astor Piazzolla”. The square is dedicated to Astor Piazzolla, giving the townscape a distinctive cultural feature. In Massa Sassorosso, the connection to Astor Piazzolla is therefore present both at a piazzetta and along an exhibition trail.

The “Paseo” is an exhibition trail dedicated to Astor Piazzolla. Its name and concept connect the town with an exhibition devoted to the musician.

The outdoor exhibition trail about Astor Piazzolla is located directly opposite the church where his grandparents were married. This immediate positioning establishes a specific connection between the trail and the church building.

The Largo Astor Piazzolla and the outdoor trail are associated with opening events held in 2013 and 2015.

The streets of Massa are rich in old buildings. This means that attention is drawn not only to individual squares or exhibition-related sites, but also to the architectural structure along the route through the town.

Red Marble as a Landscape Feature

The mountain overlooking Massa and Sassorosso consists of red marble that flakes off in large slabs.

Getting There and Personal Trip Planning

Massa Sassorosso can be reached by car. For travelers who want to organize their days flexibly between sightseeing in the town and a scenic approach, this information is an important part of their personal planning.

From Lucca, the route to Massa Sassorosso follows the SP20 “Ludovica” toward Castelnuovo Garfagnana, the SR445 “della Garfagnana”, the SP47 “di Canottola” and then the municipal road “Valligori-Massasassorosso”. This sequence of roads can therefore be traced before the journey.

From Modena, Massa Sassorosso can be reached via Passo delle Radici, the SP72 “del Passo delle Radici” and then the municipal road “Valligori-Massasassorosso”. Lucca and Modena are therefore two different starting points for the journey; both sequences of roads ultimately lead via the municipal road “Valligori-Massasassorosso”.

A national park route from Castelnuovo in Garfagnana to Castelnovo ne' Monti follows Provincial Road 48 to Massa. The connection between Castelnuovo in Garfagnana and Castelnovo ne' Monti supplements the two approach routes with an additional route via Massa. Castelnuovo in Garfagnana and Castelnovo ne' Monti are the two endpoints of this route.

Other Places to Help You Get Oriented

For further orientation, you can also take a look at Corfino and Sassorosso.

For the higher-level travel overview: Villa Collemandina.