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The most famous marble in the world is to be found in the
mountains surrounding Carrara. Vast white spots blot the
mountain peaks and, during the winter, can easily be mistaken
for snow.
Visit the MARBLE
MUSEUM and CULTURAL HERITAGE OF CARRARA CITY
 Massa
Carrara Marble Caves
"...ebbe tra 'bianchi marmi la spelonca per sua dimora;
onde a guardar le stelle e 'l mar non li era veduta tronca."
Dante Alighieri, La Divina Commedia.
Carrara is
situated 100 m. above sea level at the foot of the Apuan
Alps (Mount Pisanino 1,945 m.), near the confluence of the
Carrione and Gragnana torrents, approximately 7 km. from
the Tyrrhenian coastline. Of medieval origin, in 963 it
was given by Otto I to the Bishops of Luni. Carrara later
belonged to the Pisans, then, from the start of the 14th
century, was ruled first by the Lucchese, then by the Genoese
Republic and by the Scaligeris and Viscontis. In 1442 it
became part of the Malaspina lands (Duchy of Massa and Carrara),
sharing the fortunes of nearby Massa. Today the two cities
form a single Province.
Academy of Fine Arts
Monuments: Duomo (Romanesque-Gothic,
11th-14th century, covered with marble, housing precious
works of art), Palazzo Cybo-Malaspina (16th-18th century,
Academy of Fine Arts), church of Carmine (17th century).
The economy
of Carrara has for centuries been linked with the mining
of the precious Carrara marble in the Apuan Alps, and is
one of the world's major centres for marble production and
exportation. The port of Marina di Carrara handles almost
exclusively marble. Other industries here are engineering,
textiles and chemicals. In summer there is also considerable
tourist movement at Marina di Carrara.
Events: Annual
Marble Machinery Fair, held with other commodity fairs which
alternate in the Fair area.
Famous People:
Pellegrino Rossi (politician, 1787-1848), Pietro Tacca (sculptor,
1577-1640), Pietro Fontana (sculptor, 1787-1858), Pietro
Tenerani (sculptor, 1789-1869), the Bergaminis (family of
sculptors, active in the 16th-18th centuries).
Cultural Institutions:
Academy of Fine Arts, with art gallery, Teatro degli Animosi,
School of Marble, National Marble Exhibition (conserving
the Edicola dei Fantiscritti' sculpted Roman pagan altar,
found in the cave of the same name.
Carrara lies at the foot
of the Apuan Alps, in a little valley crossed by Carrione
stream, and is considered a world centre for the production
and the trade of marble. The most valuable and symbolic
work of the town is the cathedral, a wonderful marble building
in two colours (white and dark), which conserves inside
important sculptures and Renaissance decorations. Outside
is situated a 16th century fountain with the statue of Andrea
Doria, represented as Neptune. The fountain is ascribed
to Braccio Brandinelli.
Repetti house and the first nucleus of the Academy of Fine
Arts, which was later modified and considerably enlarged,
also belong to the Gothic Age. Alberica Square with the
beautiful Palace of Medico and the stately Palace of the
Loggias dates back to the 17th century. In the 1800s the
two city theatres ( picturesque the Animosi one, which was
built with a public subscription) and the monuments in memory
of renowned personages were erected. Carrara owes its life
to marble: here famous and actives sculptors were born in
every age even in the farthest districts. The city gives
hospitality, today as in the past, to more or less important
artists coming from all over the world and representing
a numerous, silent but active colony.
In the marvellous Alberica Square, the "International
Symposium of Sculpture" rose: every year between July
and August about 20 or 30 sculptors coming from all over
the world who carve their works in front of a numerous and
careful public.
Carrara vara bridge
The province of Massa
Carrara, in the northern
part of Tuscany, is a small plot of land where nature has
been very generous with its gifts.
The main protagonists
of the natural beauties are the sea and the Apuane
Alps.
Ten kilometres of very fine sand: Marina di Carrara,
Marina di Massa, Ronchi and Cinquale di Montignoso are
very attractive beaches, suitable for family tourism.
In
the North, among the hills, at the bottom of the Apuane,
is Massa, sixteen-century signory of the Malaspina family,
which developed on the medieval centre overlooked by
the castle and still rich in valuable monuments. Beyon
the town, the mountains hold a treasure loved by sculptors
of all times.
Between the Apuane and the Appennines,
at the border of three regions (Tuscany, Emilia and Liguria),
lies a wonderful land: the
Lunigiana It is an ancient
land, full of history and traditions, where the several
castles, the medieval hamlets and the Romanesque
style parish churches are the typical elements of an ever
changing but always gentle and relaxing landscape.
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