Description
Seeing the Carrara marble quarries by jeep means a road that climbs into the white slopes above the town, where quarries have supplied marble for more than 2,000 years. Your local guide tells the history of the marble used for the Pantheon, Trajan's Column and many Renaissance sculptures.
The jeep winds along the roads of the Colonnata Valley to different active quarries at up to 1,000 metres above sea level. You see the people, places and machinery of an old tradition, and hear how marble was cut in the past and how it is cut today. Before entering a quarry that runs underground, there is a stop in the Miseglia Valley for panoramic photos of a terraced quarry.
- Colonnata Valley, along winding roads
- Miseglia Valley, with its terraced quarry
- An underground quarry
On the way back to the start, the tour pauses to taste Lardo di Colonnata IGP, a cured pork-fat speciality traditionally aged in marble bowls. The tour takes about two and a half hours, runs in bad weather as long as it is safe, and includes the jeep, the tasting and the guide. Water is not included. It is not suitable for pregnant women, people with back problems or wheelchair users.