The Stazzemese territory was inhabited since the Iron Age and then by the Etruscans as evidenced by the findings of pre-Roman burials: the first hint of these populations is around 800 BC. located in ancient Versilia, the so-called “Wasser” with more precision in Stazzema, at the time “Stathieme”. It was later inhabited by Ligurian Apuan tribes.
Many of the names of the hamlets and localities of Stazzema recall the vocation for the extraction of this territory: The town of Gallena takes its name from the silver galena extracted in the area. Two locations are called “silversmith”: in Sant’Anna and near Ruosina di Seravezza. We also find the towns of Calcaferro and Buca della Vena where iron ore was mined
Today Stazzema is a small village, which deserves a visit to stroll along the alleys and enjoy the view from its important parish church (Santa Maria Assunta):
According to the latest research dating back to 2013; where the parish church is located today, around 200 BC a Roman cult temple was built; which was then expanded over the centuries, to obtain the church of today.
The first hints on the parish church of today are in 850 AD, originally born with a single nave and a trussed roof; which was used for construction by the Romans. The current parish church dates back to its 13th century architectural forms. The facade, closed on the southern side by a portico, is divided horizontally by arches on shelves carved with zoomorphic motifs and opens upwards with a large rose window, which is a heritage of the Fine Arts. Above the entrance portal there is a fresco ( baptism of Jesus) by the master Marcello Tommasi. The interior, with three naves, renovated in the sixteenth century when it received the beautiful coffered ceiling, preserves the Assumption of the Virgin, by Pietro da Talata, an eccentric painter active between Versilia and Garfagnana shortly after the mid-fifteenth century, a predella by Zacchia il Old dated 1525 and a marble abbot Sant’Antonio attributed to Niccolò Civitali. The organ set up in the 19th century by famous Florentine organ builders; which was built in the late 1700s.
Furthermore, on the left side of the facade, under the porch, an ancient Roman urn dating from the first century AD was walled in the wall, and it is the only remaining part of the Roman temple of Mercury, built around 200 BC. with the arrival by the Romans in Versilia; this makes it the oldest place of worship in the whole Versilia area.
