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Carrara is the world capital of marble and the headquarters of the marble Apuan-Versilia marble industry, located along the Ligurian Sea in northwestern Tuscany. The town’s origins are tied to the local marble, known the world over since Roman times. Today, to speak of Carrara means to speak of marble so precious that it is referred to as “white gold”. The marble has been a prized commodity for artists and illustrious individuals throughout the ages.
Carrara—Strolling through the historic center
Start from Piazza Matteotti and head north east on Via Roma to reach the ancient historic center. At the crossroad with Via Verdi we find the Accademia di Belle Arti and former residence of the Cybo Malaspina family, one of the area’s most notable noble families. A monument to Carrara sculptor Pietro Tacca stands in front of the palazzo.
At the bottom of the stairs is the Chiesa del Suffragio, built on the design of Innocenzo Bergamini during the early 19th century. The Latin Cross floor plan is topped by a cupola and the façade boasts a white marble Baroque doorway with a bas-relief of souls in Purgatory. Today, the church is deconsecrated and now hosts temporary exhibits. The lower portion of the piazza is occupied by the 16th century Chiesa del Carmine whose main door features a Madonna and Child by Bartolomeo Ordoñez. The interior features an altar dedicated to the Virgin of Carmelo (in polychrome marble with a 16th century painting) and an altar dedicated to Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi (16th century).
In front of the Chiesa del Carmine is one of the most ancient and characteristic streets in the medieval city, Via Santa Maria. Most notable of all of the houses is number 14, which belonged to Emanuele Repetti who supposedly hosted Petrarch in 1343. Continuing along the medieval road we come to Piazza del Duomo where a fountain of Andrea Doria (resembling Neptune) by Baccio Bandinelli. The Duomo, dedicated to Saint Andrew the Apostle, was constructed on a Romanesque plan with certain Gothic elements from the 11th to the 14th century. It was built entirely with Apuan marble with various Tuscan and Lombard-Parma influences. The oldest parts of the building are sculptures and capitals dating back to the 11th century. The interior is a rectangular plan with a semicircular apse and three naves with a higher central part.
Via Ghibellina lies in front of the Duomo’s façade; take the small street to the right which leads to the Via Carriona, home to the church of Santa Maria delle Lacrime, the former hospital of Saints James and Christopher and the church of the Madonna delle Grazie. Turning on Viale Potrignano and following directions for Campocecina we reach the Padula Park, which boasts the Villa Fabbricotti, former home of one of the area’s most important marble industry families from the 18th to 20th centuries.
Follow Via Ghibellina to the historic Piazza Alberica where we find a fountain with a neoclassical statue dedicated to Maria Beatrice d’Este by Pietro Fontana. From Piazza Alberica we reach the Teatro degli Animosi, a marble neoclassical work with a nearby monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi by Carlo Nicoli. The theatre was built in the 19th century by the important residents who made up the Accadamia degli Animosi. From the piazza, follow Via Loris Giorgi, which is one of the most beautiful and important streets in Carrara and boasts well-maintained 17th and 18th century palazzos.
(Source: Massa Carrara Tourist Information Office)
Carrara—Strolling through the historic center
Start from Piazza Matteotti and head north east on Via Roma to reach the ancient historic center. At the crossroad with Via Verdi we find the Accademia di Belle Arti and former residence of the Cybo Malaspina family, one of the area’s most notable noble families. A monument to Carrara sculptor Pietro Tacca stands in front of the palazzo.
At the bottom of the stairs is the Chiesa del Suffragio, built on the design of Innocenzo Bergamini during the early 19th century. The Latin Cross floor plan is topped by a cupola and the façade boasts a white marble Baroque doorway with a bas-relief of souls in Purgatory. Today, the church is deconsecrated and now hosts temporary exhibits. The lower portion of the piazza is occupied by the 16th century Chiesa del Carmine whose main door features a Madonna and Child by Bartolomeo Ordoñez. The interior features an altar dedicated to the Virgin of Carmelo (in polychrome marble with a 16th century painting) and an altar dedicated to Santa Maria Maddalena dei Pazzi (16th century).
In front of the Chiesa del Carmine is one of the most ancient and characteristic streets in the medieval city, Via Santa Maria. Most notable of all of the houses is number 14, which belonged to Emanuele Repetti who supposedly hosted Petrarch in 1343. Continuing along the medieval road we come to Piazza del Duomo where a fountain of Andrea Doria (resembling Neptune) by Baccio Bandinelli. The Duomo, dedicated to Saint Andrew the Apostle, was constructed on a Romanesque plan with certain Gothic elements from the 11th to the 14th century. It was built entirely with Apuan marble with various Tuscan and Lombard-Parma influences. The oldest parts of the building are sculptures and capitals dating back to the 11th century. The interior is a rectangular plan with a semicircular apse and three naves with a higher central part.
Via Ghibellina lies in front of the Duomo’s façade; take the small street to the right which leads to the Via Carriona, home to the church of Santa Maria delle Lacrime, the former hospital of Saints James and Christopher and the church of the Madonna delle Grazie. Turning on Viale Potrignano and following directions for Campocecina we reach the Padula Park, which boasts the Villa Fabbricotti, former home of one of the area’s most important marble industry families from the 18th to 20th centuries.
Follow Via Ghibellina to the historic Piazza Alberica where we find a fountain with a neoclassical statue dedicated to Maria Beatrice d’Este by Pietro Fontana. From Piazza Alberica we reach the Teatro degli Animosi, a marble neoclassical work with a nearby monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi by Carlo Nicoli. The theatre was built in the 19th century by the important residents who made up the Accadamia degli Animosi. From the piazza, follow Via Loris Giorgi, which is one of the most beautiful and important streets in Carrara and boasts well-maintained 17th and 18th century palazzos.
(Source: Massa Carrara Tourist Information Office)
