Carrara is a city and wider commune best known for its crowning peaks of gleaming white marble. Established in the early 2nd century B.C. as a residence for Ancient Roman quarrymen, Carrara’s reputation for its superior stone has reached across the world. Discover exquisitely preserved architecture and time-honored sculpture academies in this enchanting city, as well as the marble quarries from which some of Italy’s great masterpieces were hewn.
Explore the streets of the old town and find a gorgeous collection of heritage buildings and medieval treasures. With its backdrop of marble-crusted mountaintops and streets dotted with sculptures and statues, the city is breathtaking at every turn. Admire the Carrara Cathedral, a magnificent 12th-century building with an ornate façade carved from local marble. Visit the Fine Arts Academy within the old Ducal Palace (Palazzo Cybo Malaspina), which incorporates elements of its original 13th-century construction with a 16th-century Renaissance palace. Learn about the local anarchist movement started by radical-thinking quarry workers and international revolutionists at the end of the 19th century.
The city contains a collection of superb churches. Check out the Baroque 17th-century San Francesco Convent and Church of the Suffragio. Other highlights include the Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie alla Lugnola and the Church of Santa Maria Assunta in Torano.
Be sure to visit the fine art academies and galleries exhibiting the city’s antiquities. Go on a thrilling four-wheel-drive tour around the city’s marble quarries, which provided the smooth stone used in Rome’s Pantheon, Trajan’s Column and Michelangelo’s David. The Cava Museo Carrara a Fantiscritti provides a fascinating insight into the city’s ancient tradition. From the Cave di Marmo, you can see all the way to the Ligurian-Tuscan coastline. A short drive to the waterfront will bring you to a collection of gorgeous resorts and beaches in Marina di Carrara.
Carrara is located at the foot of the Apuan Alps in the Massa Carrara province. It is less than an hour’s drive or train ride from La Spezia. Enjoy the mild Tuscan climate in Carrara at any time of the year. Don’t miss a visit to the marble capital of the world and add Carrara to your Tuscan trip.
