Pietrasanta, with its many bronze, marble and mosaic studios, has become a center for the arts, and quite a lovely one at that with its grand center piazza, backdrop of olive-covered hills and proximity to the ocean, the Versilia coast. The hills that rise above town are well worth an exploration, particularly on foot because the extreme curves of the roads into them will wear on the driver after a while. If you choose to follow one road head up from Pietrasanta to Sant'Anna di Stazzema, signed to the left shortly after leaving the town heading south. The road winds slowly up, through the "olive zone", the olive tree "forest" (for the trees are largely cultivated) that extends for a certain elevation range several hundred meters above the sea.

Above the olive layer enter the zone of hardwood forest, including beech, chestnut and oak trees. Wonderful views to the sea far below will greet you on a clear day on some curves, but keep your eyes on the narrow road. Serene, silent and worlds away from the bustle of the Versilia coast far below, it's hard to imagine these hills filled with terror, difficult to picture a horrendous massacre of innocent women and children taking place here. And yet we must. On August 12, 1944, the village of Sant'Anna di Stazzema was invaded by a group of bloodthirsty German troops who massacred the entire population. A large part of the grown men were away, many fighting with the Italian resistance; knowing this, the Germans decided to set an example (as they did elsewhere in Italy and Europe) by murdering the remaining mostly women and children. At the Nazi arrival, the population massed into or around the town church in the attempt to save themselves from attack. The town priest was murdered point blank in an attempt to halt the monstrosity and the church was set to flames, at which point the killing spree began in earnest. In total 564 people met their end that day.

Man has attained some great heights in his existence, but unfortunately he has plunged into just as many equally low pits. There were many such reprisals against the Resistance fighters and the Italian people, an unfortunate list of other massacres like that at Sant'Anna could be made. Another shocking one was that at Marzabotto near Bologna, where 1,830 men, women and children were exterminated on 1 October 1944. One can only hope that the German soldiers taking part in these exterminations came to repent the monstrosity, the inhumanity of their actions. Some of these soldiers may still be living; they would be in their eighties by now.

Today a visit to Sant'Anna is enough to leave one speechless. The church has been rebuilt, and a very poignant Stations of the Cross now lines the trail to the memorial site that illustrates scenes from the massacre with those of Christ's life. The memorial site itself is incredibly moving, with it sculpture of a murdered women clutching her screaming baby; in the background a marble wall lists the names of all victims.

At this point it is best to walk off one's grief on one of fine local paths. The most ancient of these is the Via Francigena, which developed some thousand years ago as a pilgrim and merchant trail between northern Europe and Rome. Whereas in some regions highways and other modern structures now cover the route, here the trail remains in original form. During the Middle Ages security problems forced travelers to leave the easier coastal and valley routes for more protected land in the hills, thus the Via Francigena, or "French Road", was built along the crest of the hills above Pietrasanta and the Versilia coast. Quite a journey it must have been, hiking up and down tricky terrain with all your belongings and somewhat less developed footwear than that we have today. Today the walk along the Via Francigena is considerably less stressful -- the sturdy stone path winds its way along with panoramic views of the sea below. Enjoy a picnic enroute, climb to the summit of Monte Lieto (1,016 meters above sea level) or descend all the way to Pietrasanta passing through a sublime sea of olive trees and the village of Capezzano on the way.