CARRARA MARBLE QUERRIES & COLONNATA/SARZANA/VOLASTRA
Driving Time by car/Minivan
La Spezia-Carrara : 45 min
Carrara - Sarzana/Volastra/Colonnata: 20 min
Colonnata/Sarzana/Volastra - La Spezia : 1h
By minibusses and busses driving times are 20% longer ( busses have the engine limited at 100km/h
- 60mls/H Minibuses and buses often have to follow the regulations of the checkpoints in the more important Italian cities: Rome, Florence, Venice, Mantua, Montecatini, Pisa, Lucca, Siena, San Gimignano. This is an access tax to the major Italian towns of historical and artistic interest. It refers to every bus with 9 passengers + driver or more. Plase for more infos see the dedicatedpage in this website http://www.privatetuscanytours.com/en/Helpful-information/
Any vehicle is hired : Car, Van, Minibus and Bus, the itinerary do not change.
During this tour we do not have any particular restrictions for Busses.
Is always better to hire a tour assistant for group by busses
From La Spezia to reach Carrara we must drive throught the A12. Parallel road along the Aurelia Road
(second oldest road built in Italy by Romans).
The landscape start to be impressive since the moment we take the hightway. On your right the
seaside and on your left the marble mountains chain of mountain called Alpi Apuani. Before arriving in the heart
of the Marble Valley
we can stop at one of the best panoramic lookouts from where you can enjoy the most beautifull view
Carrara marble quarries, private shore trip from Livorno to the Michelangelo's marble quarries,
workshops of sculpture and quarry-men's village.
There are many active marble Querries . Included the Michelangelo's Marble Querry. Is possible to visit them.
Your driver-Guide or your assistant will teach you everything about them . Ancient and modern tchniques
to estract the Marble and its transportation.
Very often is possible to get into the caves by jeep organized by your Tour assistant or your Deriver-Guide
in advance. Your driver takes you till an area where you 'll find the person will take you inside the caves by Jeep.
Is Lunch time and with your driver you will reach Colonnata , the most popularand oldest querrymen's village
There in a local restaurant you 'll enjoy typical progucts , very tasty and unusual, as the Lardo Di Colonnata
(cured pig's back-fat)
After Lunch , the best way end up your tour is to go back toward La Spezia and stop in Carrara where you can
visit an art workshop and see great artist create with those majestic big block of Marble.
After the visit of this laboratory is time to go back to the Harbour of La Spezia
Instead of visit Carrara and the Laboratory , you can have wine tasting and tour of the cellar in a wine estate in Volastra or Sarzana . These are the best place for the production of wite wine % Terre Wine and of the spectacular olive oil .