The centre owes its origins and its name to the Lucca Podesta Guiscardo Pietrasanta, who had it built by orders of the republic towards the middle of the XIII century. Lucca was challenged by Pisa and Peitrasanta fell under the power of the latter in 1312. Successively it was subjected to the Lucca Lord of Castruccio Castracani degli Antelminelli (1316-1328) until his death. It passed in 1341 to Firenze who kept it until the exile of the Duke d’Atene. In the end, Pietrasanta was consigned to the unruly soldiers of the Bishop of Luni, Antonio del Fiesco, to make the offensive of Luchino Visconti Lord of Milan easier, at war with Pisa, who possessed the Fort of Motrone.
In 1344 following the victory of Milan, Pietrasanta returned under the dominion of Lucca, then was again subjected to Pisa in 1355. When Lucca regained its autonomy, in 1369, Pietrasanta returned to the regime of the Anziani, and remaining there until 1430. Pledged then to Genova, the town again experienced the government of Firenze in 1484, it was subjugated to Carlo VIII ten years later and again to Luca in 1496 in 1513 by a ruling of Leone X it went definitively to Firenze. Cosimo I accentuated its military centre aspect inserting it in a system of fortifications (Barga, Fivizzano etc,) destined to control northern Toscana and the Valichi Appenninici . From the XVII century Pietrasanta became progressively decadent, mainly caused by the scourge of malaria, from which it could free itself only at the beginning of the 1800s, through the completed regulation of the water. In 1841 Leopoldo II di Lorena bestowed the title of Noble City to Pietrasanta “for the rank assumed, its antiquity, the Lordly buildings, the institutional importance, as well as the residences of many noble and wealthy families”. Among its illustrious sons are recorded the sculptures Lorenzo (ca. 1455-1506) and Stagio Stagi (ca.1496-1563), the physicist Eugenio Barsanti (1821-1864) and the poet Giosuè Carducci (1835-1907).

Places to visit:
Pizza del Duomo, ancient urban nucleus, arrived at via the Porta Pisana. The principal buildings of the town face it, among which Palazzo Moroni seat of the Civic Archaeological Museum.
Il Duomo. Dedicated to S.Martino, dominates the centre of the square. The construction goes back to the middle of the 1200s, but during the centuries it has been remodelled and enlarged several times. Externally it is covered with marble. Internally, divided in three naves, are found murals by Aldemollo, together with other important works of art.