ITALIANO
In addition to ancient villages, art cities, paradise islands, and coastal resorts, our region boasts another remarkable treasure to showcase to the world: the Carrara Marble Quarries.
The winding roads leading to these quarries snake up the slopes of the Apuan Alps, offering breathtaking views and an exhilarating experience. As you drive slowly and carefully, you’ll pass through dark, improvised tunnels carved into the marble and narrow, semi-permanent paths that hang precariously over deep ravines. It’s a true “on the road” adventure filled with suspense, where we strongly recommend proceeding with caution.
Several marble caves are open for exploration, including the quarry in the Fantiscritti square in Miseglia (Carrara). Due to strict safety protocols, autonomous visits are not permitted. Instead, guided tours are available, ensuring visitors experience the quarries in complete safety.
The Fantiscritti Quarry is still active: extractions take place in the morning, while in the afternoon, travelers are welcomed. If you’re determined to visit the quarry, all you need to do is say goodbye to daylight and venture, aboard minivans, into the heart of the mountain. The interior of the quarry is breathtaking: towering walls, ceilings, and floors made of marble are a marvel to admire with each step. In this lunar landscape, sounds echo in an overwhelming silence: the smallest drop of water resounds loudly and majestically as it first touches the ground
It is no coincidence that the Carrara Marble Quarries are chosen as exclusive locations by famous musicians and singers, attracted by the extraordinary acoustics of the caves. Among the many guests, David Bryan, keyboardist of Bon Jovi, in 2012 charmed his fans by playing a spectacular marble piano inside the quarry.
Guided tours will also give you insight into the history and secrets of marble processing, a material that has been extracted since the Roman Empire (2nd century BC). Even today, it remains a valued element across the globe, used in constructing villas, floors, interior finishes, and monumental structures.
And if, like us, you love the road trip experience, spend the following hours driving around the Apuan Alps, perhaps stopping at one of the most scenic resting points: Ponti di Vara. A beautiful architectural masterpiece from the late 1800s, part of an old marble railway that once saw steam trains passing through.
