Although far from mass tourism, Carrara’s quarries have seen a steady flow of visitors in recent decades, in a context that requires, however, utmost caution due to the complex overlap between work and tourist needs.
While the road system in the historic center has been freed from heavy traffic, with the opening of a massive work such as the Marble Road (2012), the routes upstream are still shared between trucks and private cars (at least on weekdays) and will have to be approached with great care. Since no public service is provided, the quarries can only be reached by own means or through private operators who provide special service, with licensed guides and vehicles suitable for reaching even the most inaccessible destinations.
Leaving aside the places accessible only by private tours (including spectacular tunnel quarries), an itinerary among the quarry sites can therefore start from the Carriona di Colonnata road, which climbs among the mountains starting from Ponte di Ferro, a scenic infrastructure of the old Ferrovia Marmifera railway, located near the historic center.
Past the entrance to the Santa Croce tunnel, which leads into the first section of the Strada dei Marmi (access is restricted to authorized vehicles only) and the facilities of the control, weighing and washing center (through which all heavy vehicles pass), the climb continues between sculpture workshops and sawmills to the Mortarola site. In this narrow gorge, where marble mortars were once produced, one can see the works of the self-taught sculptor, and former machinist of the Ferrovia Marmifera, Mario del Sarto (1925-2021), including the imposing Spartano, the name by which the roughest of quarrymen, proudly anarchic day laborers, were called.
After skirting the ancient village of Bedizzano, the route proceeds until it reaches the Colonnata basin, where there is (signs on the left) the Roman Quarry of Fossacava, which offers the possibility of discovering, in an archaeological tour, the history and techniques used for the extraction of marble in Roman times. The site, which has recently been set up, is owned by the municipality, and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; there is no shortage of initiatives such as guided tours and workshops, usually by reservation (info on the Carrara Municipality website).
Finally, the road leads to the village of Colonnata, where it is possible to stop for a snack (or a full meal) of Lardo di Colonnata IGP.
Returning towards the valley and having reached, after a short distance, the junction for Torano, turn right going along one of the most spectacular stretches of the Marmifera: between tunnels and viaducts you arrive in a few minutes at the Ponti di Vara, one of the most well-known panoramic points in the area.
Following the signs for “Fantiscritti Quarries,” one then arrives, between steep hairpin bends, at Fantiscritti, where there is a private museum dedicated to the daily life of quarrymen and the history of quarrying, a refreshment point, and various operators offering guided tours. The name of the place derives from the ancient presence of a Roman marble bas-relief, on which travelers used to affix their signatures: the three male figures in the relief (Jupiter, Hercules, and Bacchus), were interpreted as boys (infantrymen) filled with inscriptions and graffiti (writings). The work, on which the names (among others) of Giambologna and Canova are still legible, is now kept at the Academy of Fine Arts in Carrara.
For the descent, we recommend taking the striking Tarnone tunnel (signs for Carrara/Colonnata), the longest of those dug for the railway line (1274 meters), at the end of which you will turn right back toward the Ponti di Vara.
Past the historic viaducts you will head toward the Torano basin, through another series of tunnels, with remarkable views of the valley below. After the last short tunnel, taking the Torano-Piastra road, a steep ascent leads up to Ravaccione, amid breathtaking views (on the right is the Polvaccio area, where Michelangelo stocked up on statuary marble). Still visible is the old railway loading station, and the mouth of yet another long tunnel, which led to Fantiscritti (which can be visited by private tour).
The itinerary concludes with a descent to Torano and Carrara, among huge industrial plants that remind us how these mining sites present environmental criticalities of no small importance: the discussion on the complex relationship between work and the preservation of the ‘environment is very lively, and requires solutions that keep in mind the historical and cultural elements linked to the millenary mining tradition of the Carrara valleys.