Carrara Marble Tour: Explore History & Taste Lardo
5.0
61 Ratings
Provincia di Massa e Carrara

Embark on a captivating tour of the Carrara Marble Quarry, exploring its rich history, excavation techniques, and artistic transformation. Indulge in the unique flavors of Colonnata, home to quarry men for centuries.

Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Ponti Di Vara - We will spend the first part of the tour in the Carrara mountains, taking a few stops in front of different marble quarries, where you’ll learn everything about the history and methods of the excavation processes and understand how the experts transform a rock into a beautiful artwork or piece of furniture.
  • Colonnata - We will…
What's Included
  • Geologist and stone expert guide
  • Snacks
  • Admission fees
Additional Information

The tour will begin in the Carrara mountains, where participants will have the opportunity to physically interact with various marble blocks and discover what makes this stone exceptional. Following this, the group will explore a distinctive museum to gain insights into the history and excavation methods of the past, contrasting them with contemporary…

Location
Via Miseglia Fantiscritti
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(61 Ratings)
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1 star
Leslie
Oct 8, 2025
Great tour - Great tour guide. Very knowledgeable. Would definitely recommend this tour. Learned a lot of interesting facts. Beautiful area.
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81robynt
Sep 18, 2025
Marvelous Marble tour - Vincent is a superb guide, utilizing his experience as a university-trained geologist to describe the mountain, the marble and the challenges miners and artisans face. We were visiting sites once mined by a family ancestors and felt transported back in time. The Lardo portion of the trip was a culinary treat and shared experience of miner lunch necessity. You will enjoy your tour!
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Cheryl
Sep 9, 2025
Amazing!!!! - I can't say enough about this trip! Vince was our guide, he was amazing and knew everything about the ins and outs of mining marble. A must do!
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Roving653350
Sep 6, 2025
Thoughtful and knowledgeable explanation of marble quarrying - Absolutely first rate. Nicola explained the historical methods of quarrying. I have much better understanding of what goes into the selection and preparation of a block of marble. His description of the crystalline structure of Carrara marble explained why it was the desired marble for sculptors. He also recommends a wonderful restaurant in Carrara Marina for lunch. Go see Nicola and avoid the 4x4 tours. If you want to add some additional context to your tour, you should go to the ruins in Luni which are about 25 minutes from the quarries. Luni predated Carrara as the shipping point for marble quarried in the Apuan Alps.
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650huguesp
Jun 29, 2025
Highly recommend - Seriously cool tour of an actives marble quarries in Carrara! Nicolas, our guide, was awesome – super friendly and full of great info. We learned so much at the museum about old and new marble cutting techniques, we got see awesome quarries, touch raw freshly cut and taste unique Lardo aged in marble! There's a nice coffee and souvenir shop right there, and parking was a breeze. Definitely recommend it!
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Susan
Jun 7, 2025
Excellent tour - We spent several hours with Vincent, a university-trained geologist, at one of the Carrara marble quarries. He was an excellent teacher - engaging and extremely knowledgeable - and he spoke perfect English. The history of the quarries was fascinating. Hard to believe how they used to have to mine the marble!
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Marthakarenr
Jun 2, 2025
Awesome experience with a geologist for a guide! - Our tour with Vincent was very informative. He is both a geologist and in the marble business. His English is impeccable. His knowledge of both modern and historical aspects of marble excavation was both interesting and informative. The meeting place was easy to find with Google maps. I highly recommend going out of your way to do this tour if you want to understand the marble used by Michaelangelo and Bernini.
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224masonr
May 25, 2025
Awesome! - Fantastic time! Would recommend it to anyone, especially those wanting a tour led by an industry expert. Easy meeting point and great conversation.
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Melissas477
May 22, 2025
Excellent experience - We had a great experience with Vincent on the Carrara marble tour. He is very knowledgable. The tour was very unique and one of the highlights of our trip! He was also very flexible and responsive when we needed to change our date as well. Highly recommend
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442marieclaudel
Sep 24, 2025
Visit of marble quarries - Excellent guide! Very knowledgeable about everything that affected careers over time. Has been without problem able to answer fairly technical questions. The visit to the village to taste the lardo is brief (this village is very small though). Don't hesitate to try it, it's surprisingly tasty!
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From $92
up to 8 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).