The Hills Above Camaiore

A short drive inland from the Versilia coast changes almost everything.

The roads begin to climb. Stone replaces stucco. Olive trees give way to chestnut woods.

Between the bends there are occasional openings where the coast appears far below.

This is the Versilia we came to know first.

Beyond the coast

Forte dei Marmi and Pietrasanta are never far away, but the hills behind Camaiore have a very different rhythm.

Small villages are scattered across the slopes, sometimes little more than a cluster of houses, a church and a road continuing upwards.

You hear more than you see: water, church bells, people talking from one house to another.

Metato

Metato is one of these villages and the place that became our own base in Versilia.

We first came here nearly twenty years ago and kept returning to the same house.

What began as somewhere to spend the summer gradually became somewhere that felt familiar.

That sense of familiarity is what we still look for in this part of the region.

Move slowly

There is no single sight to come here for.

Walk. Follow a road without knowing exactly where it ends. Stop when a view opens towards the sea.

Have lunch inland rather than returning immediately to the coast.

Candalla is one of our favourite places to see how quickly the landscape can change.

From central Camaiore, it takes only a short drive before stone mills, trees and running water take over.

For an evening in the hills, Il Fondaccio is a home restaurant run by Mara and Massimo, where dinner happens at their home among the stone walls and the garden.

Walking from Metato

The road ends at the small parking square in Metato, and from there the paths take over.

A short climb leads to the ruins of the Montecastrese castle, above the village — less than an hour there and back, with the coast appearing between the trees.

Longer marked trails continue into the Alpi Apuane: the path up Monte Prana is the classic one, a proper half-day walk that ends on a summit with the sea on one side and the marble mountains on the other.

You do not need to go that far. Even twenty minutes on any of the paths above the village is enough to feel how quickly the coast falls away.

On Saturday and Sunday in high season, Il Fondaccio serves lunch in the hills — a good reason to do the walk in the morning.

A different Versilia

The coast is part of Versilia, but it is not the whole story.

For us, understanding the region means moving between both: mornings by the sea, evenings in the hills and the villages in between.

That contrast is one of the reasons we are still discovering new corners after all these years.