Are you considering to visit Carrara quarries this Summer? If you love nature and you are an adventure traveller you should definitely go. I’m going to tell you three reasons why!
Nearby the city of Carrara in Tuscany, Italian region, there are the amazing Carrara marble quarries. They are a beautiful place to visit and an occasion to learn about this beautiful material, of which Italian artist Michelangelo made his masterpiece David and which today is still one of the finest interior finish. The Carrara quarries have produced more marble than any other place on earth.
Here are the three things you’ll discover by visiting Carrara querries:
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Stunning places usually inaccessible to most visitors
Carrara is located right by the sea along the coast of northern Tuscany and it’s a beautiful place to visit. Once you decide to book a tour of the “Marble Mountains” you get the chance to reach the top of the mountains and enjoy the gorgeous view of the Apuan Alps along with a peek at the Ligurian-Tuscan coastline.
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The world of Carrara’s marble
There’s so much to learn about! Did you know that Carrara marble has been used since the time of Ancient Rome?
At the time, moving and carrying these massive tons of marble was no easy task. One of the first systems “lizzatura” relied on a slide to transport the marble blocks. It was quite dangerous as potentially the cords could broken, and the heavy slide could crush the workers. Luckily modern systems helped to reduce risks and today the quarries continue to remove and ship up to a million tons/year of marble.
There are different type of tours you can book. From a private tour (which includes guided sightseeing of the marble caves and visit of a workshop of sculpture) to a Carrara marble quarries & sculpting class. There’s also a specific visit for Architects and Designers where you can of course visit the mines but also artisans studios where they make floors, table tops, kitchen counters, tubs, sinks, and all the products that made Carrara world-renowned.
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Beautiful surrounding locations
Not only you’ll be immersed in the beautiful quarries but you can also visit some beautiful cities such as Pietrasanta and Massa Carrara. And it’s only an hour and a half drive to Florence.
Resources:
Carrara Marble Quarries Tour Map by Wandering Italy
CTTours – Carrara Marble Quarries private tours, TripAdvisor
