Regional Natural Park of the Apuan Alps, Regional park in Tuscany, Italy
The Regional Natural Park of the Apuan Alps covers roughly 55 kilometers of mountainous terrain straddling Massa-Carrara and Lucca provinces, defined by dramatic limestone formations and deep gorges carved by water. The landscape is cut through with over 1,300 documented caves and marked by vast white marble quarries.
The mountains were shaped about 20 million years ago when the African plate collided with the European plate, creating the geological structure visitors see today. People have lived in and extracted resources from this region since ancient times.
Marble quarrying has shaped how people here live and work for generations, visible in the white scars across mountainsides and in villages whose identity remains tied to the stone. The labor and skill involved in extracting and shaping marble remain central to local pride and community life.
Three main cave systems accept visitors with guided underground tours available at each site, though booking ahead is wise during peak months. Summer months offer the most accessible hiking trails, while weather can change quickly in the mountains so layered clothing is advisable.
The Antro del Corchia holds the most extensive cave network in Italy, stretching for several kilometers beneath the surface with passages that reveal millions of years of water erosion. Explorers can trace the underground rivers that continue sculpting these passages today.
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