Carrara-Marble Quarries + Essence of Cinque Terre (Full Day)

Carrara-Marble Quarries + essence of Cinque Terre (Full Day)

By choosing the tour Carrara-Marble Quarries + Cinque Terre (Full Day) you will be able to discover the amazing Carrara Marble Quarries. This is the place where throughout 2000 years it has been excavated this white and shiny stone which has been used for building and decorating churches, palaces and cities in Italy and around the world. Donatello, Michelangelo, Bernini and many other sculptors and architects loved and still love to use this unique material for their works of art.

Travel through the majestic marble valleys, stop at panoramic lookouts and arrive up to 1000 mt. of altitude and enjoying breathtaking views of Carrara marble mountains, then visit an outside and a gallery marble quarries for comparing different methods of excavation and see something truly unique. Learn more about the tools, machines, and methods used throughout 2000 years for the excavation and transportation of marble.

To see from a distance trucks which incessantly challenge technical and human limits, makes us rise the wish to try the same thrill. Thanks to the special off road 4×4 vehicles and to highly skilled drivers, you’ll be driven in a magnificent and unique scenery, where extremely detailed information about both ancient and modern methods of marble extraction, will be given.

Lunch might be arranged in Cinque Terre or in Colonnata, the oldest quarry-men’s village, to experience an antique and unique food, the “lardo di Colonnata”, the only one of its kind in the world.

We’ll drive you to the Cinque Terre, the string of five old fishing villages perched high on the Italian Riviera in the region Liguria, that represents one of the most pristine natural areas of Liguria, with a landscape unique in the world, shaped by the famous dry-stone walls.

Personally, we advise you first to get in the village of Corniglia, the one with the most impressive view, just on top of the other 4 villages (cinque terre means “five lands / villages”); afterwards we could take you to Vernazza, the most fascinating of the five.

Corniglia

The coastline between Manarola and Corniglia is full of hidden treasures we will explore before reach the middle village of the Cinque Terre. Sitting 100 meters high on a cliff face, Corniglia is the only of the villages without a harbor and features a panoramic terrace where you can see Manarola and Riomaggiore to the south and Vernazza and Monterosso to the north.

Vernazza

The UNESCO majestic village of Vernazza is probably the most characteristic of the Cinque Terre and is classified as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. Vernazza was founded about 1000 A.D. and was ruled by the Republic of Genoa starting in 1276. The medieval castle, Belforte, was built in the mid-1500’s, primarily to protect the village from pirates. An ideal way to arrive to this breathtaking village is by sea. The tiny port is surrounded by subtle colorful pastels and the charming piazza is lined with good restaurants and bars. The village is surrounded by very steeply-terraced olive groves which are said to produce among the finest olive oil in the country. We can even stop at a characteristic wine cellar.

This is a sample itinerary, feel free to require further customization of the Cinque Terre and Carrara shore trips from La Spezia, that better suits your wishes.