Parish Church of Santo Stefano in Vallecchia

The Parish Church of Santo Stefano is located in Vallecchia, a hamlet in the municipality if Pietrasanta, situated along a stretch of the historic via Francigena. The church was erected for the first time in the 8th century, while the building we see today dates to around the year 1000. Local marble taken from the nearby Monte Solaio, which still today rises up behind the bell tower, was used to build the church. The interior is divided into three naves with ancient pillars and columns topped by Romanesque capitals.

In the 17th century, the church was transformed an decorated, as shown by the traces of frescoes portraying holy scenes. A niche dug into the third pillar of the left nave conserves a beautiful statue of the Madonna and Child, dated to the 14th century. Other decoration includes the polychrome confessionals from the 17th century, a 16th-century crucifix behind the altar and the marble pulpit with rich, Baroque ornamentation, sculpted by the Carrara-born Andrea Baratta in 1681.