Northwestern Tuscany
To learn how the Romans worked with marble, visit this surprisingly informative, open-air museum adjoining the souvenir shop across from the quarry entrance.
Don't miss the B&W shots of marble blocks being precariously slid down the lizza (mountain pathway) to the bottom of the mountain, where 18 pairs of oxen would pull the marble to Carrara port.
28.55 MILES
One of Italy's signature sights, the Torre Pendente truly lives up to its name, leaning a startling 3.9 degrees off the vertical. The 58m-high tower,…
28.51 MILES
Pisa's magnificent duomo was begun in 1064 and consecrated in 1118. Its striking tiered exterior, with green-and-cream marble cladding, gives onto a…
25.28 MILES
Lucca's predominantly Romanesque cathedral dates from the 11th century. Its stunning facade was constructed in the prevailing Lucca-Pisan style and…
28.46 MILES
Pisa's unusual round baptistry has one dome piled on top of another, each roofed half in lead, half in tiles, and topped by a gilt bronze John the Baptist…
15.32 MILES
At the end of the quay, a Cinque Terre panorama unfolds from the rocky terraces of a cave formerly known as Grotta Arpaia. Lord Byron once swam across the…
24.89 MILES
Lucca’s monumental mura (wall) was built around the old city in the 16th and 17th centuries and remains in almost perfect condition. It superseded two…
24.96 MILES
Fire the romantic in you with a stroll around this beautiful 17th-century palace where parts of Portrait of a Lady (1996), starring Nicole Kidman and John…
25.2 MILES
The bird's-eye view from the top of this medieval, 45m-tall red-brick tower adjoining 14th-century Palazzo Guinigi is predictably magnificent. But what…
0.02 MILES
Head up the mountain to this dusty, truck-busy cava de marmo (marble quarry), through a dramatic series of tunnels used by trains to transport marble from…
3.48 MILES
Opposite the tourist office, Carrara's Marble Museum tells the full story of the marble quarries outside town, from the old chisel-and-hammer days to the…
3. Orto Botanico delle Alpi Apuane 'Pietro Pellegrini'
4.29 MILES
This delightful botanical garden in Pian della Fioba is ideal for discovering alpine flora. Opening hours can be variable; check the day's opening hours…
10.21 MILES
On a walking track just above Tellaro stands the ruins of Portesone, a former rural village that was abandoned in the 1600s (allegedly owing to a plague…
10.27 MILES
Tucked between shops on Via Mazzini is this precious chapel, frescoed with the Gate of Paradise and Gate of Hell by Fernando Botero (b 1932). Spot the…
10.38 MILES
Next to Chiesa di Sant'Agostino, a steep path known as Via della Rocca leads up to the remnants of Pietrasanta's ancient fortifications. The crenellated…
10.4 MILES
The far end of Piazza del Duomo is dominated by the 13th-century stone hulk of this deconsecrated church. Once dedicated to St Augustine, today the…
10.41 MILES
Inside the convent adjoining Chiesa di Sant'Agostino, this small museum explores the evolution of modern sculpture through 700-odd bozzetti (maquettes or…