Meet your private driver-guide at 8am as close as possible to your ship for the pleasant 45-minute drive to Pietrasanta, an old town of Roman origins rich in sculpting traditions and filled with workshops frequented by artists from all over the world. Visit the Bozzetti Sculpture Museum and get an insight into how artists make the marble come to life in a busy working artists studio. Some studios may request a small entry fee.
Enjoy a coffee in the Piazza del Duomo before traveling up into the marble quarries of Carrara to discover vast amphitheaters of cut rock for spectacular views and delve into cavernous tunnels that open out into marble cathedrals. An immense cultural and historical patrimony, these mountains were first exploited by Julius Caesar and have supplied artists from Michelangelo to Henry Moore.
Before your marble tour, stop to enjoy lunch in the quarryman's village of Colonnata, renowned for its lard cured in huge marble vats. There are two tours you can choose from here.
" Either take a guided tour to visit the inside of a working quarry (own expense), lasting approximately 40 minutes. You'll be taken into the heart of the Apuan Alps to discover a marvelous quarry carved deep inside the mountains of an almost lunar appearance with vast and cavernous rooms. The first section is conducted from a small tour bus and once inside the Ravaccione Quarry, know as the Marble Cathedral, you will be talked through the process of cutting and pulling marble blocks and you will see the working machinery (this is still an active quarry). A truly unforgettable experience with ancient origins stemming from the