Versilia occupies the northern coastal strip of Tuscany within the province of Lucca. Stretching from the Apuan Alps down to the Ligurian Sea, it includes four key municipalities – Forte dei Marmi, Pietrasanta, Seravezza, and Stazzema – known as “Old Versilia,” as well as others such as Camaiore and Viareggio. The area takes its name from the Versilia River, once a marshy floodplain, reclaimed through centuries of engineering work.

Since ancient Rome, wealthy citizens took to the coast in the summer, a practice known as villeggiatura. The word itself means “vacationing in pleasant places,” and it describes a tradition that stretches back to Roman élites seeking relief from the heat in the countryside and seaside.