Guided walks of Carrara marble caves for groups traveling with a coach longer than 12,50 meters.
Local expert guide sightseeing to discover the marble mines and Colonnata village, famous for its cured pig’s back-fat.
Programme
Meet the tour guide and depart to the world’s largest marble quarries, during the journey your local guide provides relevant information about the history, the economy and the geology of the territory.
Arrival at the “Roman quarry”, archaeological and panoramic site where your tour guide will explain the landscape of the marble quarries and will clarify how the traces left by the ancient Romans on the mountain must be interpreted.
Afterward depart to Colonnata, the coach parks at the foot of the village (only minibusses max 8 meters long can drive up) and the group will walk for approx 20 minutes uphill to reach Colonnata. This is the oldest quarrymen village where always breathe a unique atmosphere together with the smell of its Lardo (Slow Food Presidium). Time to visit the village and have a tasting of lardo.
If time remains, on the way back from Colonnata, stopover at “La Piana” where the guide will complete the explanation of the modern methods of excavation and transportation of marble with the help of tools, pictures, and a scale model.
Free time for visiting the marble souvenir shops follows.
*** Opportunity to upgrade the itinerary by:
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- Visiting an open pit marble quarry. Admission fee.the famous “underground quarry”, unique experience. Admission fee.
- Riding a Land Rover to the top of the marble mountains. A touch of thrill and breathtaking views. Admission fee.
- Have a richer tasting of lardo and other local foods in Colonnata. Custom quotation.
If you decide to remain for the whole day in Carrara (as I hope), see here the options available:
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- Match together the half day itineraries described above: marble quarries, Colonnata, Carrara town center, sculpture studio.
- Visit of marble workshops specialized in interior design, where floors, kitchen counters, table tops, etc etc are manufactured. Needs reservation and suitable for small groups only.
- Guided walk of other charming towns in the vicinity of Carrara: Sarzana, Pontremoli, Pietrasanta, Lucca, La Spezia, Lerici, Portovenere.
