Viareggio in the rain: tips for bad weather on the Versilia coast
Viareggio is usually synonymous with sunshine, a light breeze carrying the scent of salt, sunglasses glistening on tanned noses and that almost kitschy lightness of being that Italian coastal towns so charmingly conjure up. But then, one morning: nothing but a grey sky that looks as if Botticelli had suddenly discovered gloom.
What to do when the heavens open and the Tuscan coast looks like a bad-tempered watercolour painting? Book a return flight? Or – the better plan – simply open an umbrella, slow down the pace and discover a new side to Viareggio: wet, but by no means boring.
1. Artistic retreat: the GAMC – Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea
The Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Viareggio is located in the Palazzo delle Muse, a building that, even from the outside, looks as if it were designed for rainy days: solid, calm, with a view of contemplative hours. Inside, works by artists such as Moses Levy, Lorenzo Viani and other greats of Italian modernism await. If you want to get a taste of Italian art history without being overrun by school classes as in Florence or Rome, this is the place for you.
Particularly worthwhile are the temporary exhibitions, which often dare to bridge the gap between tradition and contemporary art – and do so with astonishing elegance. So if you want to arm yourself intellectually while the rain pours down outside, this is the place to be.
2. Espressi, elegance, existentialism: coffee houses with character
Viareggio has a proud coffee house culture, and unlike many tourist destinations, you can still find genuine places of social life here – not Instagram backdrops with latte art and synthetic charm. At Caffè Liberty, whose name exudes Art Nouveau, pensioners, artists and rain refugees meet to discuss God, politics or the latest football match.
A few streets away, Bar Galliano beckons, where you get the feeling that espresso is still served with philosophical depth. Here you can hide behind a newspaper for hours – La Repubblica or Corriere della Sera, depending on your political leanings – and watch umbrellas like colourful water lilies push their way through the streets outside.
3. The rain dances along: Museo del Carnevale – the year-round spectacle
Viareggio without its carnival would be like Venice without masks. And even if you visit outside of carnival season, it’s worth visiting the Museo del Carnevale, located in the Cittadella del Carnevale, just outside the city centre. Here, you’ll not only learn how gigantic papier-mâché satirical figures are made, but also how deeply political humour is embedded in the local DNA.
Anyone who thought Italians took themselves too seriously will be proven wrong here: inflatable Berlusconis, grotesquely exaggerated Draghi heads and drag queens on moving stages prove the opposite – whatever the weather.
4. Shopping in bad weather
Viale Giosuè Carducci – the palm-lined shopping street directly behind the beach – transforms into a kind of Tuscan Champs-Élysées with umbrellas when it rains. Here you can take shelter in style: boutiques with Italian fashion, shoe shops with leather goods from the region, perfumeries that smell of citrus, the sea and somehow always a little bit of drama.
If the rain becomes too persistent, you can dash from shop window to shop window, always with the excuse that you just want to ‘have a look’. But as is so often the case in Italy, those who look end up buying. At least a silk scarf. Or an umbrella. If only to look like Sophia Loren in a scene from the 1960s during a thunderstorm.
5. Literature, passion and local patriotism: bookshops and libraries
When the sea is rough outside and the waves are crashing against the seafront, a visit to an Italian bookshop seems almost like an act of rebellion. In Libreria Lettera 22, for example, named after Olivetti’s famous portable typewriter, you will find a small but fine selection of Italian literature, art books and children’s books that even adults will enjoy browsing through.
An insider tip for Italian learners: in many shops, you can read in peace – and you won’t be eyed like a thief after two minutes, as you would be in German bookshops. You can stay, read, maybe drink a caffè from the vending machine in the corner – and completely forget about the weather.
6. Escape to the hinterland: Lucca, Pietrasanta, Camaiore
If you want to escape the coast for good, take the next train or bus inland. Lucca, only half an hour away, shows its mystical, peaceful side when it rains. The thick walls protect the city from the wind, and the sound of raindrops echoes so poetically in the narrow streets that you almost expect to meet a melancholic Puccini ghost.
Or you can go to Pietrasanta, known among artists as ‘Little Athens’: studios, galleries, sculptures in the squares – a kind of rain-soaked open-air museum with espresso breaks.
7. Culinary therapy: gnocchi, wine and serenity
Of course, one thing is essential in bad weather: good food. And there is plenty of that in Viareggio. Trattoria Buonamico serves its gnocchi with mussels even when the rain is washing the pavement. Osteria L’Imbarco serves the best fish in town, and Ristorante Romano proves that you can eat Michelin-worthy food without losing your down-to-earth attitude. A glass of Bolgheri, a plate of fresh squid – and outside, the rain washes the streets clean for new thoughts.
Rain in Viareggio is not a disaster – it’s a test of character
If you only know Viareggio in the sunshine, you don’t know Viareggio. The rain reveals a different, quieter, more contemplative side of the city. And sometimes it is precisely these unexpected rainy days that bring you closer to the more authentic, deeper sound of Italy. You don’t just dance on sun terraces – sometimes you dance under grey clouds. And those who can do that know how la dolce vita really works.
