Holiday apartment in Massa E Cozzile: Massa between fortress and rolling hills

Hillside setting and fortified townscape

Massa lies at an altitude of around 223 m on a hill where the valley of the Torrente Borra widens into a hollow open to the south. The hillside setting and the open valley give Massa a distinctive landscape profile.

Holiday apartment in Massa E Cozzile between fortress and culture

Massa is a fortified settlement surrounded by walls, guarded by towers and accessed through gates. A fortress stands at its highest point. The circuit of walls and the fortress give the town a clearly recognisable historical character.

Gates, streets and medieval traces

The buildings in Massa developed along a steeply ascending street in a fishbone pattern that is still recognisable today and connects the parish church with the fortress. Porta ai Campi is the southern entrance to Massa; its present appearance probably dates from the early years of the 14th century. Porta Fontana is a medieval gate in Massa’s circuit of walls and has remained almost completely intact to this day.

The Museo di San Michele consists of the Chapel of San Michele and two exhibition rooms that originally formed part of the architectural complex of the Convent of the Visitation. In the area around Massa, on the Croci plateau, stands the Santuario della Beata Vergine del Carmelo. It was founded in the early years of the 17th century on the site of a wayside shrine that preserved a fresco depicting the patron saint.

Routes connected with the landscape

The Margine coperta – Massa route follows Via Vacchereccia along the ridge descending from the town of Massa. On this route, you pass the old Pasquini and Armani villas. The Massa-Croci-Cozzile circular route is 5.3 km long and has an elevation gain of 200 m. This gives you a concrete indication of the scale of an outing connected with the landscape.

The mountain peaks of Monte Bersano, Poggiobello and le Piaggete are located around Massa. Together with the hillside setting and the Via Vacchereccia ridge, they add to the landscape around the town.

Culture and regional destinations

The Galleria D'Arte Bentivegna is located in the immediate vicinity of Massa. The historic sites Terme Tettuccio and Terme Excelsior, as well as the Park of Thermae, are also nearby. Further afield in the region around Massa stands the Villa Torrigiani palace. The view therefore extends from places in the immediate vicinity to a palace farther away in the surrounding region.

Oil and local specialities

Along the Strada dell’Olio Borghi e Castelli della Valdinievole, oil and local specialities are sampled in the local osterias, agriturismi and restaurants. In addition to walls, gates, trails and museums, this also offers a culinary perspective for your stay in Massa.

More places to discover: Chiesina Uzzanese, Stiappa, Serravalle Pistoiese, Lamporecchio, Cecina, San Marcello Pistoiese, Castagno, Buggiano

To the higher-level travel overview: Pistoia.