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Marble workshop in Pietrasanta
Photo © Comune di Pietrasanta
Photo © Comune di Pietrasanta

Strolling through Pietrasanta’s art workshops

World-renowned sculptors have worked bronze and marble in Pietrasanta’s artisan workshops, places that cannot to be missed for a true tour of the city's art

In Pietrasanta, working with marble and bronze is a tradition rooted in centuries past, and that in recent times has brought great artists from the international scene to create their works in the town's historic workshops and foundries.

The entire center is an "artistic traffic zone" that ideally continues to Marina di Pietrasanta and is an invitation to discover the works of art scattered in the squares and streets, but not just that. It is in the artisan workshops, in fact, that techniques, knowledge and secrets are handed down: these are the venues that world-famous sculptors have chosen to give shape to new creations and that today open their doors to those who wish to discover the origin of a work of art, experiencing the process that leads to its creation.

Some of these realities boast artistic production since the first half of the last century: one example is the Massimo Del Chiaro Art Foundry, which over the years has perfected technical mastery, placing it at the service of creative flair.

Different, however, is the experience of the Dream Factory, a marble workshop that routinely transforms its spaces into places to meet and share; exhibitions and initiatives are hosted here, such as courses to try your hand at different production techniques, ideal for feeling a real part of Pietrasanta's artistic verve. 

The artist Gabrielle Haardt in one of Pietrasanta’s laboratories
The artist Gabrielle Haardt in one of Pietrasanta’s laboratories - Credit: Anne Haardt

Visiting these "places of creation" is an opportunity to see with one's own eyes where sculptures known in every corner of the globe were created - such as Botero's famous statue The Warrior - but also to listen to the tales and stories of those who, with pride and passion, worked with these personalities.

Indeed, numerous international artists have passed through Pietrasanta's workshops and artisan forges, and many of them have donated their works to the city: the artistic foundries have seen, in addition to Fernando Botero, Igor Mitoraj, Anna Chromy and Rosario Murabito, while the marble workshops have brought to light the sculptures of Arturo Carmassi, Franco Miozzo, Romano Cosci.

Museo dei Bozzetti in Pietrasanta
Museo dei Bozzetti in Pietrasanta - Credit: Comune di Pietrasanta

Together with the workshops, Pietrasanta's artistic vocation can be breathed throughout the city, all the way to its shores: the International Park of Contemporary Sculpture is a permanent open-air exhibition populated by dozens of works of art on display in the alleys and open spaces where the lives of its inhabitants pulse; a simple walk becomes an even more engaging experience when combined with a visit to the Museo dei Bozzetti: here the plaster casts that served as the basis for the creation of the final sculptures, in marble or bronze, are on display.

Little Athens is a casket of artistic and natural treasures, where every statue is cloaked in charm and salty air; it is a place that stretches placidly between the sea and the last slopes of the mountains, and offers those who reach it all the beauty of a historic city with a contemporary soul.

To discover all the foundries and workshops in the city, you can consult the list made available by the Municipality of Pietrasanta.

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