# Viareggio

Viareggio is a smaller city in Tuscany, in Versilia in the province of Lucca in Italy. The city is located on the beautiful Tyrrhenian Sea, and the country surrounding the city is an area of beautiful hills and quaint farm houses.

## Understand

The town is not very useful to most travellers as the beach is completely private, taken over by members only beach clubs. The town is famous for its carnival Carnivale di Viareggio in a neighboring city Torre del Lago.
The town is gay friendly, and is surrounded by many attractive cities. It is also a less expensive alternative to some surrounding beach towns.

## Get in

The city is 38 km from Pisa, 28 km from Massa, 48 km from Livorno, and 96 km from Florence.

### By train

Viareggio is on the line between Genova and Rome and can be reached by local trains from Pisa (15 minutes) and from La Spezia (1 hour). From Viareggio there is also a very slow line to Lucca (15 minutes), Montecatini (45 minutes), Pistoia (1 hour), Prato (75 minutes) and Florence (90 minutes).

### By plane

The closest airport is in Pisa. From there it's possible to reach Viareggio by train (at the station Pisa Airport take the train to Pisa centrale and then the regional train to La Spezia with stops in Torre del Lago Puccini and Viareggio) or by bus (in the large square in front of the airport go to the bus stop of Vaibus and take the bus to Torre del Lago and Viareggio; tickets on board). From Florence airport take the bus Vaibus to Lucca, Torre del Lago, Viareggio. The bus stop is in front of the airport, at the beginning of the motorway (tickets on board).

### By bus

There are bus lines of Vaibus to and from Forte dei marmi, Lucca, Pisa, Florence and Montecatini.

## Do
### Events

* Viareggio Carnival: . A massive (more than 800,000 participants) pre-Lent carnival featuring parades, fiestas, muscials, and theatrical events from mid-February to early March. (date needs fixing)

## Learn

* Centro Giacomo Puccini (Italian language school), Via Vespucci 173, ☏ +39 0584430253. 09:00-14:00. For those wishing to learn Italian, Centro Giacomo Puccini offers 2-week sessions for beginners and advanced alike.

## Eat

* Tito del Molo is a very good, but pretty expensive restaurant. They have good fish, as do all eateries in the area. Small publics are favorite places to dine in Viareggio, because the people are friendly, and the food is great. A great experience is making a meal of your own of freshly caught fish (catch them yourself) any local will be willing to help you with the fish, and all the fish markets have beautiful, fresh products, as well as meats, cheeses and produce.

## Sleep

When you stay in Viareggio, you can stay in a lot very comfortable hotels.
* Hotel Eur Lido di Camaiore, Viale le Colombo, 175, Lido di Camaiore, ☏ +39 0584 618251, fax: +39 0584 618253. Three-star hotel a few hundreds metres away from the sea and the coast line of Versilia, which has 75 bedrooms with private bath, shower and a large swimming pool. The rates change according to the season, as well as the minimum stay.
* Principe di Piemonte, Piazza Puccini 1. The Principe di Piemonte Hotel is located on the promenade within close proximity to shops, bars and restaurants. 800 metres from the centre of Viareggio.
* Astor Hotel Viareggio, Viale Carducci 54. It fronts to the sea and the most famous Viareggio’s promenade for shopping, nearby the natural pinewoods for free wellness and sport activities.
* $^{[formerlydeadlink]}$ Hotel Residence Luana, Via Ugo Foscolo 36, ☏ +39 0584 44238. Hotel Residence Luana is in the city centre of Viareggio, 200 m from the sea and the beaches, nearby the promenade.
* B&B Arsella, Via Vespucci, 39 - +39 338 33 68 498 - www.arsellaviareggio.it
* Bed & Breakfast Arsella is between the sea promenade and the West Pinewood Park. Its fantastic position it’a a short walk to the seafront with equipped beach and the most famous esplanade with boutiques, coffee houses and restaurant. As much near is the Pinewood Park, a true green oasis with several entertainments for young and older people (minigolf, tennis club, ballroom, carousels).

## Go next

* Great day trips can be taken to neighboring Lucca! Some great trips include going to:
* Guinigi Tower, a tower from the 15th century, at the home of Lucca's leading family. The tower is unique because if its spectacular oaks that grow through the tall structure.
* Duomo di San Martino is the home of Volto Santo (Holy Face) A wooden figure of Christ that is believed to have the actual face of Christ.
* A trip to the 'walls that surrounded the city in the 16th and 19th centuries is always beautiful, but they are paved on top, and a bike trip around the top makes the experience unforgettable.
* Collodi is a beautiful town that is also the birthplace of Pincchio. Pinocchio Park is a must for families with small children, though adults can take tours of the famous villas.