Carrara Travel Guide

  Marble quarries, Colonnata, Carrara.
by halikowski
 
  • Marble quarries, Colonnata, Carrara.
      Marble quarries, Colonnata, Carrara.
    by halikowski
  •   Things to Do
    by BruceDunning
  •   Things to Do
    by BruceDunning
  • Cork tree in central square of Carrara!
      Cork tree in central square of Carrara!
    by PALLINA
  • Sign describing the area and history
      Sign describing the area and history
    by BruceDunning
 

Explore Carrara

Things to Do  

Sample Sculptures at the Museum

Sample Sculptures at the Museum, Carrara

 BruceDunning Says:  There are some wonderful sculptures at the museum entrance and surrounding area. These are a couple that are impressive of the dozen or so around the top 

Carvers on Site

Carvers on Site, Carrara

 BruceDunning Says:  In the old Roman times they used slaves, and probably many of them, because they then chiseled the stone out of the facing. In later times, Italians used wood wedges to insert into the rock and then wet them. That would split the rock from the pressure. That method continued... 

The museum and top of mountain

The museum and top of mountain, Carrara

 BruceDunning Says:  This is a real surreal and huge mountain, and was first called Luna-for moon in Apuan Alps. You could get run off the narrow winding road if not careful from a fast moving truck hauling the marble down the mountain. The magnificent views at the top are well worth the trip.... 

Mountain Being Cut for Blocks

Mountain Being Cut for Blocks, Carrara

 BruceDunning Says:  The process of cutting out a large piece of marble is time consuming and takes a lot of preparation work. They now use more intricate methods of slicing the blocks out of the mountain by using precision blasts, and wedge blocks and cutters. In the past the blast was the... 

Road Awareness

Road Awareness, Carrara

 BruceDunning Says:  The road is winding and in some spots rather nervy to drive. The curves to go up the mountain side are wide in some areas, and more narrow in others. The trucks are coming downhill. Also loclas walk along side the road, or are on bikes. 

Bridge over

Bridge over, Carrara

 BruceDunning Says:  This bridge is one of two that go into the mountain. WE went around past the museum on one road. It winds back through many narrow roads and eventually ends up at the bottom of the mountain. It is connecting to a point where the drive up started. This is a nice drive, but be... 

museo del marmo

museo del marmo, Carrara

 paragianna75 Says:  The museum was founded in 1982 and its aim was to collect documents and testimonies on the local culture relating to marble. 

Cararra Marble Quarry

Cararra Marble Quarry, Carrara

 lashr1999 Says:  Take a tour of the Cararra Marble quarry and view some of the marble sculptures along the way. There is a gift shop selling cheap marble goods. Many people liked the marble chess sets. 

Museo De Fanta Scritti - Marble Quarry

Museo De Fanta Scritti - Marble Quarry, Carrara

 Princess-Kitten Says:  I know...a marble quarry! Sounds dull, huh? Not a bit of it!Run by a lovely man, Walter Danesi, it is a little 'garden' of all sorts of marble sculptures, carved from the local mountains which surround you on every side. There's a cave which you can visit as part of a tour... 

Hotels  

hotel Michelangelo

 22 Opinions

B&B Villa Isa

 12 Opinions

Hotels  

hotel Carrara: right next to the train station

hotel Carrara: right next to the train station, Carrara

 paragianna75 Says:  Not fancy from outside but with clean rooms with "heavy" decoration and an excellent breakfast. Everyone that was taking breakfast in this hotel was leaving with a bag full of fruits, juices, a bottle of mineral water and sandwich.I heard that maybe its a tradition in these... 

Warnings Or Dangers  

Watch your driving

Watch your driving, Carrara

 BruceDunning Says:  The road can be treachuous. The trucks carrying marble down the mountain do take a wide turn on the curves, while the road itself has blind spots when turning the zig zag going uphill. You do not always see the traffic coming down until you are close to the having to make a... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Cararra Marble Quarry, this is...

Cararra Marble Quarry, this is..., Carrara

 rozehill Says:  Cararra Marble Quarry, this is north of La Spezia but before Parma.The mines have supplied marble since Roman times. The scupltor Michelangelo used Carrara marble for his 'David' masterpiece. 

The Place

Plan a Carrara vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Carrara locals

Experience Carrara
  •   12 Tips and Reviews
  •  45 Photos
  Share your Travels  
Map of Carrara
 

The People

3 Members Live Here
 
Our Members Say
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 Cararra Marble Quarry, this is north of La Spezia but before Parma.The mines have supplied marble since Roman times. The scupltor Michelangelo used Carrara... 

3 members live in Carrara

 

Questions and Answers

doyenne08 profile photo

Q:  Hi, 3 of us will be in Pisa from Nov 24 to 28, 2010 and want to spend one day in Carrara and the quarry. What is the best way to... 

leics profile photo

A: You will find information about visiting the quarry on its website: http://www.carraramarble.it/english/marble_quarry_tour.html where there is also a contact email... 

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Top Carrara Writers

1

A great Tour

BruceDunning profile photo

 They keep digging out sections of the mountain. After all these years, apparently there is still more to dig. About 300,000 square meters are carved out yearly. Franco Barattini owns the three active... 

2

Cararra

lashr1999 profile photo

 Cararra is the home of pure white marble quarries. This site has been in use for over 2000 years since the Roman era. It is a wonder marble is still being quarried after all these years. Here,... 

3

Carrara

paragianna75 profile photo

 I've got some interesting experiences in Carrara. I'd love to share with you the 2 tips I've written, the 3 photos uploaded, and 0 travelogues I've created. 

4

Close up of Cararra Marble Quarry

rozehill profile photo

 These mines have supplied marble since Roman times. The scupltue Michelangelo used Carrara marble for his famous works of art. 

5

Visiting Carrara

cantab79 profile photo

 A picture from the road to Miseglia (outside Carrara on the way into the Apuan mountains) of the Arco Arte sculpture studio where I trained for two weeks. 

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