Viareggio, The City of Liberty, The Cradle of Carnival

PRLog (Press Release) - Oct. 26, 2011 - Viareggio is a very young city, in fact, it traces its roots back to the first half of the 16th century, when it became the only gate to the sea for the Republic of Lucca. The oldest building in town, known as Torre Matilde, dates back to this time too and was erected by the “viareggini” as a defensive fortification to fight back the continuous menace of the Barbary Corsairs. As you probably already know, Viareggio is one of the most popular seaside resorts by the Tyrrhenian Sea and it is known also as the cradle of the famous Carnival of Viareggio, that every year transforms the city into a blaze of colour and light, masks and papier-mâché floats which parade up and down along the “Sea Promenade”, while in the city quarters the parties explode. When the Carnival ends and the parades disappear, across the city remain the enchanting Liberty buildings, deco style and eclectic, that along with the open air cafés and the haute-couture boutiques, make the Boulevards by the Sea and the Promenade, the most interesting and artistic area of Viareggio.

The city owes its “current face” to a raging fire that disfeatured it literally in 1917. The fire destroyed the old wooden pavilions in only one night, but soon the city was rebuilt and became an exclusive sea-bathing resort, able to capture the attention of the bourgeois society of the 20th century... Architects and decorators such as Alfredo Belluomini, Galileo Chini, Carlo Vannoni, Ugo Giusti and Aldo Castelfranco gave to Viareggio that unique, modern and refined appearance it stills preserves today, the reason behind the myth of the Cosmopolitan Holiday Destinations.

If you intend to visit Viareggio, we recommend you to book a Florence car rent from Pisa Airport and start your walking tour from Viale Regina Margherita, where the old Cinema Savoia, the Cinema Teatro Eden and the building of Magazzini Duilio 48 are located. Further on, you can admire the Gran Caffè Margherita, achieved through close collaboration between the architects Alfredo Belluomini and Galileo Chini, with its colourful oriental-style cupolas. Then, the entrance of the Balena Club, designed by Belluomini and decorated by Chini; instead, on the opposite side of the boulevard are some private residences such as the Villino Tolomei and the Villino Chizzolini, along with the Historic Grand Hotels  such as The London, The Liberty and The Excelsior. Many other hotels dating back to the early years of the Twentieth Century, such as the Hotel Plaza, the Grand Hotel Royal, Villa Tina and the Principe di Piemonte reflect the tendencies of that time.

Caterina Pomini

Visit http://www.blucarservice.it/ for details

Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/11708070/1