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CARRARA |
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The capital of Massa-Carrara, Tuscany's northernmost province, is
Massa , a modern, unappealing town that is more or less merged with its
adjacent beach resort of Marina di Massa in a sprawl of undistinguished
holiday development. Nearby CARRARA sits just inside the Ligurian border,
28km north of Viareggio, and enjoys a fame that far outstrips its modest
size. For the mountains here have been a principal source of marble
since the ancient Romans; everyone from Michelangelo to Henry Moore has
tramped up here in search of the perfect block. Carrara is still the
world's largest producer and exporter of marble, shipping out 1.5
million tonnes a year from the container port plumb in the middle of
Marina di Carrara . But quiet Carrara itself has a pleasant, rural feel
and comes as a relief after the holiday coast.
From the central Piazza Matteotti , the pedestrianized Via Roma heads
north to the pleasant Piazza Accademia, with steps down (west) to the
old town and Carrara's Romanesque-Gothic Duomo , graced with a lovely
Pisan-style marble facade. Heart of the old town is gracious Piazza
Alberica . This is the focus for the town's display of contemporary
marble sculpture, the biennial Scolpire all'Aperto (late July to early
Oct), when the town invites internationally renowned artists to create
new works in public. For the low-down on marble, there's an impressive
Museo Civico di Marmo on Viale XX Settembre, 2km south of town (Mon-Sat:
June-Sept 10am-8pm, May & Oct 10am-5pm, Nov-April 8.30am-1.30pm;
L6000/¬3.10), served by CAT buses from Piazza Matteotti. Any short trip
into the interior brings you to the startling sight of the marble
quarries . To get a closer view, take a bus (hourly from Via Minzoni)
towards Colonnata , 8km northeast of Carrara, and get off before the
village at the " Visita Cave" signs by the mine - if you're driving,
follow the " Cava di Marmo" signs from the village. You'll see a huge,
blindingly white marble basin, its floor and sides perfectly squared by
the enormous wire saws used to cut the blocks that litter the
surroundings.
Carrara-Avenza train station is close to the Marina di Carrara seafront,
and is served by regular buses which run 4km inland to drop off at
Carrara's central Piazza Matteotti. Carrara town has no tourist office ;
the nearest one is at Piazza Menconi 6 on the Marina di Carrara seafront
(Mon-Sat 8.30am-12.30pm & 4-8pm; tel 0585.632.519, www.bicnet.it/aptms
), from where Navigazione Golfo dei Poeti runs boats to Portovenere and
the Cinque Terre (June-Sept daily; around L35,000/¬18.08). Carrara's two
hotels are the spartan Da Roberto on Via Apuana (tel 0585.70.634;
L60,000-90,000/¬30.99-46.48), and the more salubrious Michelangelo ,
Corso Fratelli Rosselli 3 (tel 0585.777.161, fax 0585.74.545;
L120,000-150,000/¬61.98-77.47), with parking and a jolly manager. The HI
hostel Apuano is at Via delle Pinete 237 in Marina di Massa (tel
0585.780.034, fax 0585.774.266; L18,000/¬9.30; mid-March to Sept),
alongside plenty of campsites . The excellent Il Via restaurant , Via
Roma 17 (tel 0585.779.423; July & Aug closed Mon, rest of year closed
Sun) has a quality mid-priced vegetarian menu fisso . Elsewhere are Roma
di Prioreschi , Piazza Cesare Battisti 1 (closed Sat), and La Tavernetta
, Via Ghibellina 1 (closed Mon). A choice spot for wine and snacks is
the Enoteca at Viale Verrazzano 11e (closed Sun).
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