Massa

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Massa is a town and comune in Tuscany, Italy, the administrative centre of the province of Massa-Carrara.

Located in the northern part of the Tuscany region, where sea and land naturally join in a wonderful and unique contrast, Massa has a population of approximately 69,000 inhabitants, distributed in five boroughs.

The Massa area is of high touristic value and also hosts a concentration of some 600 industrial and craft activities, located within the so-called Apuan Industrial Zone, with a direct employment of more than 7,000 people. Together with the twin town of Carrara, Massa is worldwide known for the extraction and production of marble.

History

From the 15th to the 19th century, Massa was the capital of the independent Principate (later Duchy) of Massa and Carrara, ruled by the Malaspina and Cybo-Malaspina families.

In 1829 the city was handed over to Austrian branch of the Este family. In 1859, during the unification of Italy process, it joined the Kingdom of Sardinia

Main sights

Massa's attractions include:

• The Malaspina Castle (10th century)
• The Renaissance Ducal Palace, on the Piazza Aranci
• The Cathedral
• Piazza degli Aranci
• Piazza Mercurio
• Marina di Massa.

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Last updated on Friday February 08, 2008 at 08:08:50 PST (GMT -0800)
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