Marina di Carrara isthe northernmost seaside resort in Tuscany and is located on the border with Liguria. It is a hamlet of the municipality of Carrara, from whose center it is about 7 kilometers away.
The main attraction of Marina di Carrara is certainly its long and wide sandy beach, almost completely occupied by bathing establishments, but its most striking feature is its proximity to the Apuan Alps, which seem to plunge directly into the sea. Marina also has several green areas, an internationally renowned Nautical Club and an important exhibition complex that hosts cultural, sports and recreational exhibitions and events every year.
The birth of Marina di Carrara, which in the past was called Marina di Avenza, dates back to the 18th century and is linked to the need of the Dukes of Modena, who at that time were lords of Carrara, to build a safe port on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It was in fact Francesco III d’Este who, thanks to the economic intervention of the British government, financed the surveys and the project for the construction of the port at the same time as the construction of the Via Vandelli, a carriage road, still passable on foot today, to connect Modena to Massa by crossing the Apennines and the Apuan Alps. The port project, however, was not realized due to adverse historical events, but the Dukes of Modena did not give up their attempt to give life to the Carrara coastline in which they had the only outlet to the sea, and for this reason Francis IV, in 1833, decided to parcel out the coastal area by assigning the buildable land free of charge, thus becoming to all intents and purposes the founder of Marina di Carrara.
The development of the hamlet’s seaside center took place especially from 1851, when the construction of the port began. The consistent population growth of the locality, however, has occurred since the postwar period, when Marina has become a true residential center; suffice it to consider that at the time of the first census that considers it an entity in its own right, in 1881, it had just 1590 inhabitants, while today about 15000 people live in Marina out of a municipal population of about 60000.
From that period is the Church of the Holy Family, in the central Menconi Square, a large square completely paved with marble, on the short side of which stands the liturgical building whose construction, due to economic issues took almost thirty years. A special feature of the church, which has three naves and four bays, is the fine white marble chancel at the entrance that was originally inside the Carrara Cathedral, erected in the 11th century.
The beach at Marina di Carrara runs between the Parmignola stream, which marks the border between Tuscany and Liguria, and the jetty that demarcates the port. It is a very wide beach of fine sand, with gently sloping shallows. Most of Carrara’s beach is run by equipped bathing establishments that offer many services; however, there are also four free beaches there. Of particular note is the one furthest north, close to the border with Liguria, intended for four-legged friends: the so-called Bau Beach.
Marina di Carrara is not a center of historical importance, given its recent urbanistic twinning from Carrara that was immediately devoted to industry and sea tourism, but its location makes it an excellent point of support for excursions and trips both to the Apuan Alps, a true paradise for those who love trekking and nature, with various short routes suitable for everyone, and to the historic cities that surround it, such as Carrara and Sarzana.
Of considerable interest from a tourist point of view is the Nautical Club, with its renowned sailing school, an easily accessible and well-equipped landing point for those who choose to move around by boat. A historical curiosity related to this place: there is a plaque commemorating the docking of the motorboat Oriens, in 1926, with Ferruccio Parri and Carlo Rosselli on board, who were immediately arrested by the fascist police, returning from Corsica where, with the help of Sandro Pertini, they had clandestinely transported Filippo Turati, fleeing persecution by the regime.
Close to the port is the monument Al Buscaiol (which in the local dialect literally means “the one who carries” and stands for the day laborer, usually assigned to laborious tasks), a work by the Carrara sculptor Felice Vatteroni commissioned by the dockworkers of Marina di Carrara, which recalls the popular origins and industriousness of the people of Marina di Carrara .
On summer evenings then, Marina becomes the true center of the town’s movida, with a wide choice of clubs, bars and restaurants where one can spend some fun time. Many beach establishments have since developed the idea of the beach club by offering aperitifs by the sea and musical evenings.