Carrara, Marble quarrying center in Tuscany, Italy
Carrara is a town in the Province of Massa-Carrara in Tuscany where quarrying white stone has shaped daily life for centuries. The quarries climb the flanks of the Apuan Alps, and from many streets you see the pale scars cut into the mountain.
Roman settlers began using the quarries in the second century before Christ and hauled blocks through the port of Luni to many parts of the empire. During the medieval and Renaissance periods extraction remained central, and sculptors from across Europe traveled here to select material for their works.
In workshops across town, visitors watch artisans working with hammer and chisel, a practice many families have carried on for generations. The names of quarries on the surrounding slopes – Fantiscritti, Colonnata, Torano – recur in conversation, as each yields stone with different qualities of whiteness.
The workshops and museums lie mostly in the center and are easy to reach on foot, while the quarries in the mountains require winding roads to reach. Visitors planning to see the higher quarries should wear sturdy shoes and expect steep paths that can be slippery.
The village of Colonnata, above the town, is known for its bacon cured in basins carved from local stone that lend the meat a particular taste. Stoneworkers in the area still maintain the tradition of carving each basin by hand and storing them in cool cellars.
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