Lucca Private Day Trip to Pietrasanta and the Cararra Marble Quarries
Description
A personalised private tour from Lucca exploring the Carrara marble quarries, the sculpture town of Pietrasanta for the discerning traveller seeking an authentic Italian experience on a small group tour with only the very best of English speaking driver guides. You will tour in comfort and style in a top of the range Mercedes minivan or sedan discovering Italy 'close up' as you travel into the heart of this incredible artistic area. Explore the open-air museum of Pietrasanta, follow in the footsteps of great artists such as Michelangelo, and delve into a sumptuous quarryman's lunch in the little village of Colonnata!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Take the 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). Relax with an Italian coffee in the Piazza del Duomo taking in local life alongside open air art and sculpture before travelling on up into the Carrara marble quarries
An immense cultural and historical patrimony, these mountains were first exploited by Julius Caesar and have supplied artists from Michelangelo to Henry Moore. Choose from 2 tours. Visit the inside of a working quarry (10euro per person) where you are taken into the heart of the Apuan Alps to discover a marble cathedral carved deep inside the mountain. This is still an active quarry with working machinery and once inside you will see first-hand how marble is cut Or you may wish to join a 4x4 guided tour (10euro per person) travelling through a network of 30 open-air active quarries arriving at an altitude of almost 1000m above sea level. Here, the scenery is almost lunar with spectacular views across the sea. Your tour guide will tell you about methods and stages of excavation, from cutting to loading huge marble blocks on top of the trucks right in front of your eyes. It was here where the James Bond chase scene was filmed in Quantum of Solace.
The perfect stop to enjoy lunch is in quarryman's village of Colonnata, renowned for its lard cured in huge marble vats.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Your driver shall meet you directly from your accommodation - hotel, villa, bed and breakfast, farmhouse or apartment. Please confirm your full address when booking and we'll see you there on the day!
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Service animals allowed
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(4)
What a wonderful experience touring the awesome Carrara marble quarries with our most pleasant and extremely well-informed guide, Valter. He taught us so much! A highlight was visiting the studios of sculptors at work in Pietrasanta. We ended the day with a deep understanding and appreciation for the fine print art of sculpting from start to finish!
Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed our day together visiting the sculptor studios of Pietrasanta and exploring the incredible Carrara marble quarries. I hope your memorable experience will tempt you back to Italy again soon ... waiting to welcome you back for more inspiring Italian travels!
What a great day out from Lucca. Valter our guide knew his history and included time in the town of Carrara, a drive along the coast, a food stop in Colonnata, a stop at a sculpting studio and of course the marble quarries. The quarries are amazing and immense and definitely worth seeing. You won't forget it.
Buongiorno! It was my pleasure to be able to spend a memorable day with you exploring Pietrasanta, Carrara, and the stunning marble quarries and thank you for taking the time to share your experience. Grazie di cuore and I look forward to welcoming you back to Italy for another adventure!
This tour was fantastic! Our tour guide Valter was the best! He enriched the tour with great information and sites to see. We enjoyed our day with him and would highly recommend this day tour. Half of our group had been to both locations and done a tour at the quarry previously, but we all enjoyed the repeat activities and learned more than we expected!
Grazie for a wonderful review. We were thrilled to hear you all had a great time visiting Pietrasanta and the Carrara Marble Quarries recently, even those who had visited before. Valter will be delighted to know that he made your experience special with his knowledge and insight ... there's always something new and interesting to discover! We truly do appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you all on another adventure in Italy!
Walter was very congenial and informative about local history as well as the quarries. Through him we learned about the marble and met working artisans. It was an amazing experience to walk into the cave! The day was well worth the time and cost.
