The Burlamacca Canal originates in Montramito, in the municipality of Massarosa, in the province of Lucca, and flows into the sea in the municipality of Viareggio. It is named after the Lucchese Burlamacchi family, possibly because it crossed their lands or because a ditch was reopened along the ancient traces of the Fosse Papiriane at their expense. It serves as the navigable outlet of Lake Massaciuccoli.
Together with the Malfante Ditch and the Le Venti Ditch, it forms the Viareggio-Vecchiano waterway.
A satellite view of the Tyrrhenian Sea shows Lake Massaciuccoli and its canal system. The Burlamacca Canal is the main outlet of Lake Massaciuccoli and has the Malfante, Le Venti, and Le Quindici canals as tributaries. In the Varignano district of Viareggio, there is a system of Vincian gates, built in the 18th century to regulate the flow of salt water from the sea. Since this system was inadequate, a new barrier was constructed slightly upstream. Shortly after this hydraulic structure, the canal receives water from the Farabola Ditch (which, just before, is joined by the Gora di Stiava) and continues toward the sea, where the Port of Viareggio is located at its mouth.
