Carrara

Situated at the foot of the Apuan Alps, Carrara is word-wide famous for its white marble quarries which surround the town.

To admire this precious material walk around the town and you will see how it has been used to decorate the squares, the buildings, and the cornices of facades. There isn't a place where you cannot but appreciate man's ability to work this stone.

Of the main squares, Piazza Alberica is the most noteworthy: flanked on one side by Palazzo Del Medico and on the opposite side by the old loggias. In the centre there is the statue of the Duchess, Maria Beatrice d’Este erected in 1827.

One of the most important palaces is the Fine Art Academy (Accademia di Belle Arti).

But the town's crowning glory is the Cathedral, built over a period of 300 years.

Started in the 11th century, it is a fine example of a variety of styles, ranging from the Romanesque to the Gothic and the dichromate facade is unmistakably Pisa style.

The rose-window above the portal is a masterpiece in marble.