20Mar

Marble quarries in the Colonnata valley and visit the Colonnata village

By: umberto On: 20 March 2019 In: Coaches exceeding mt. 12,50, Coaches up to mt. 12,50 Comments: 0

Tourist guides, guided visits for groups only to the quarries located in the Colonnata valley followed by the visit of the Colonnata village. Itinerary accessible by coach of all sizes (up to the bottom of Colonnata).

workshop of sculpture, marble artisan at work
marble quarries, Vara bridges
on top of the marble mountains
quarry museum, hand-saw for processing marble blocks
carrara marble mines, huge cutting face of an open cast quarry
carrara marble caves
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Highlights

  • English-speaking local licensed guide.
  • Visit of the Roman Quarry, archaeological and panoramic site.
  • Explanation of both ancient and modern method of marble excavation.
  • Visit of Colonnata village with tasting of the local specialty.
  • Free time for the eventual visit to marble souvenir shops.

Tour Details

  • Tour available all year round.
  • Accessible to buses of all sizes. The village of Colonnata only by 8 m. lenght buses.
  • Meet the tour guide at Carrara highway exit.
  • Duration approx. 3,5 hrs
  • Activity level: easy. You walk a little and on the plain.
  • Bus ticket € 50,00 if you hire a local guide, have a restaurant reservation or visit a local museum. Tour guide rates
Info & Booking
  • Stay for lunch in Colonnata (home of the famus Lardo), in Carrara or by the sea.
  • Visit of an open cast marble quarry. Entrance ticket € 6,00pp
  • Visit a marble workshop and watch the amazing marble artisans at work.
  • Visit Carrara old town entirely embellished of its white marble.
  • Join a sculpture lesson: a piece of marble, hammer, chisel, an authentic craftsman sculptor, and your good will. At the end of the 3 hours you will have created your small Carrara marble work of art.
  • Have hiking experience or a bike tour on the marble mountains.
  • Visit one of the amazing places in the surroundings, Cinque Terre, Portofino, Florence and Tuscany.
  • Organizzazione tecnica di V&D Viaggi e Dintorni – Carrara

Info & Booking

Guided walks of Carrara marble caves located in the Colonnata valley called Cava Romana (Roman Quarry) archaeological and panoramic site. Suitable for groups traveling with a coach of all sizes.

Local expert guide sightseeing to discover the marble mines and Colonnata village, famous for its cured pork’s back-fat.

Itinerary

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.

Info & Booking