Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Viareggio (Italy). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Viareggio Diga Foranea Lighthouse, Palazzo Paolina Bonaparte, and Faro di Viareggio. Also, be sure to include Chiesa di San Paolino in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Viareggio (Tuscany).
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Viareggio Diga Foranea Lighthouse
Viareggio Diga Foranea Lighthouse is an active lighthouse, located at halfway the breakwater of the dock of Viareggio on the Ligurian Sea.[1]
Palazzo Paolina Bonaparte
Villa Pauline is a historic building, located in the city of Viareggio, that belonged to Pauline Bonaparte, Napoleon's sister.
The villa was built in 1822 on the seashore in front of the place (now become Piazza Shelley) where, according to legend, the sea returned the body of the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, who died in Viareggio that same year following a shipwreck; Pauline loved his poems very much and, it is said, chose the construction site for this very reason as well as for its proximity to the sea.
The villa, also called "The Refuge of Venus," was inhabited by the princess immediately after its construction in order to live close to the man she loved, musician Giovanni Pacini. A place of Pauline's retreat after the death of her brother Napoleon, it was a place of culture as the princess loved to surround herself with artists and musicians.
The villa, which with the expansion of the city over time has now become an integral part of it, has been reopened to the public after restoration and houses the "Civic Museums of Villa Paolina" and the picture gallery dedicated to contemporary art.
Faro di Viareggio
Lighthouse
Chiesa di San Paolino
The church of San Paolino is a religious building located at 221 Via Sant'Andrea in Viareggio, in the province of Lucca.
In April 1958 Pope Pius XII elevated the church to the dignity of minor basilica.
Address: Via Sant'Andrea, 221, 55049 Viareggio
Villa Borbone
The Villa Borbone on the Viareggio estate was built on the Viale dei Tigli that connects the seaside town with the hamlet of Torre del Lago.
Address: Viale dei Tigli, 55049 Viareggio
Museo della Marineria "Alberto Gianni"
Specialty museum, Museum
Address: Via Pescheria 9, 55049 Viareggio
St. Anthony Church
Also known as: Chiesa di Sant'Antonio
Church
Church of Sant'Andrea
Also known as: Chiesa di Sant'Andrea
Church
Address: Via Sant'Andrea, 55, 55049 Viareggio
Cittadella del Carnevale
Arenas and stadiums, Museum
Address: Via Santa Maria Goretti, 55049 Viareggio
Torre Matilde
The Matilda Tower is a tower in Viareggio, an example of 16th-century military architecture. It is called "Matilda Tower" because of the erroneous attribution of its construction to Matilda of Canossa.
Palazzo Paolina - Musei Civici Di Viareggio
Museum