History
During the Roman Empire Massa veternensis in Etruria was the birthplace of Constantius Gallus.
From the 15th to the 19th century, Massa was the capital of the independent Principate (later Duchy) of Massa and Carrara, ruled by the Malaspina and Cybo-Malaspina families. Massa is the first recorded town in Europe in which the magnetic needle compass was used in mines to map them and determine the extent of various mine owners' properties.
In 1829 the city was handed over to the Austrian branch of the Este family. In 1859, during the unification of Italy process, it joined the Kingdom of Sardinia.
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