Massa is the capital of the province of Massa Carrara. A city in Northern Tuscany, Massa covers 94.13 km² and has a population of around 70,145.

The town of Massa stands in the heart of Calle del Frigido, at the foot of the Alps, and is only a few kilometres from the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea, in a mostly flat territory.

Massa existed as far back as the Roman Empire when a few primitive settlements were created. By the 3rd and 4th century, the city had left behind its humble roots and transformed into one of the most important cities in the region, so important that it was frequently mentioned in writings of the time. During the Middle Ages, Renaissance and the following centuries, Massa became the capital of an Independent Principality, before becoming part of the Duchy of Massa Carrara. In 1829 the city lost its long-coveted independence at the hands of the Este families, former Dukes of Modena. Finally, in 1859, the city joined the Kingdom of Sardinia and at the end of the 1800s, the Kingdom of Italy.

Through often neglected by tourists interested only in the main cities of Tuscany, Massa hides many of the territory’s religious treasures in its humble streets. In the centre of the old town of Massa lies the Church of San Gemignano, which guards some incredibly valuable and important works of art, including a fifteenth century polyptych. Joining this beautiful church is the Cathedral of San Sebastian, a building which was heavily bombed in the Second World War and was rebuilt in 1945 as demonstration of the local community’s desire not to let the devastation of war get them down. Massa is also home to the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Francis; the Oratory of the Servi, built in 1600 and embellished with a marble altar; the Church of San Rocco, built during the Middle Ages and guardian of a wooden crucifix; and finally, the Church of Our Lady of Mercy, built in 1628.