Italy: Inside coveted marble quarries where artists like Michelangelo traveled for the finest materials

Joey Hadden

“Is that snow?” my partner said one morning during a summer Mediterranean cruise as we opened our cabin’s curtains to see a wide view of the Apuan Alps in Carrara, Italy.

“No, it’s marble,” I said, smiling, because if I hadn’t done my research, I would have thought the same thing.

The mountain range is home to the marble basin of Carrara in Tuscany. The marble in the Apuan Alps has been used since the Roman Empire for buildings and sculptures, according to UNESCO.

Today, it’s home to several marble quarries, and I got to see them for myself.

The mountain range is home to some of the most coveted marble in the world, and it’s dotted with marble quarries. I recently got a closer look during a group tour.

For my Mediterranean cruise last month, I booked an excursion with Carrara Marble Tour to see the mountain range lined with marble quarries up close.

During the tour, I learned that Carrara is among the most coveted marble in the world, and the guide explained exactly why.

“The marble from Greece and China has very big crystals. It’s too hard,” he said. “The marble from Turkey has very small crystals. So it’s easier to work with, but it’s too fragile. Carrara is the right compromise.”

Although it’s easier to work with than other forms of marble, another reason the material is so coveted is because of all the time and effort that goes into cutting it and transporting it from the mountain range to countries around the world, he said.

The mountain range also has preservation methods in place limiting the amount of marble that can be taken from it, he added.