The white mountains that gave Michelangelo his marble
Seen from the coast, the mountains above Carrara look snow-capped all year round: the white is marble, quarried here since Roman times. There are hundreds of quarries in the Apuan Alps, and the most famous basins, Colonnata, Fantiscritti and Torano, are a few kilometres from the town. Michelangelo came here personally to choose the blocks for the Pietà and the David.
You can visit the quarries with 4x4 tours that climb the dizzying roads to the working faces, or go inside a mountain in the underground quarry of Fantiscritti, a cathedral of white stone. The Marble Museum and the Ravaccione area explain the history of extraction, from the Roman wedges to the diamond wire saws of today.
Tip: wear closed shoes; tours run in all weathers except heavy rain. The town of Carrara has a fine cathedral and many sculpture workshops.
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