The Sculpture Route

Tuscan sculpture was autonomous throughout the twentieth century until the present day. Places of excellence have been dedicated to famous artists originally from these lands and are vivid evidence of their presence: this is what happened at the Marino Marini Museum in Florence and Pistoia, at the collection of plaster casts of Libero Andreotti in Pescia, at the Venturino Venturi museum and house archives in his native town of Loro Ciuffenna, beneath the slopes of Pratomagno.

As we move through the Apuan-Versilia territory crossing the provinces of Lucca and Massa-Carrara beneath the slopes of the Apuan Alps, we have the impression of entering the very homeland of sculpture, as we can see from the open air works scattered everywhere, from the museums, the public and private collections, the artists’ studios, the marble workshops, the bronze foundries, the art schools.

Sculptors arrive here with their models from all over the world, and they leave here with works of all sizes and styles, thanks to the intervention of master sculptors, heirs of a tradition of excellence, of unequalled quality. New experiences of open studios and experimental study workshops, open to young people, are appearing on the scene.

The role of these prominent workshops is confirmed, all with their collections of plaster casts and works which have witnessed the passage of so many major sculptors from around the world. And all around, the skyline is dominated by the white Apuan peaks with their extraordinary environment of marble quarries.