A personalised private tour from Lucca exploring the Carrara marble quarries, the sculpture town of Pietrasanta for the discerning traveller seeking an authentic Italian experience on a small group tour with only the very best of English speaking driver guides. You will tour in comfort and style in a top of the range Mercedes minivan or sedan discovering Italy 'close up' as you travel into the heart of this incredible artistic area. Explore the open-air museum of Pietrasanta, follow in the footsteps of great artists such as Michelangelo, and delve into a sumptuous quarryman's lunch in the little village of Colonnata!
Inclusions & Exclusions
✔ Bottled water
✔ Lucca pickup and drop-off directly from your accommodation
✔ Driver/guide
✔ Transport by private vehicle
✖ Lunch
✖ 4x4 Jeep Quarry Tour or Marble Cave Tour
✖ Gratuities
✖ Some art studios may charge a small entry fee
Pickup Locations
1. Hotel Napoleon
2. Casolare Lucchese
3. Hotel Fabbrica di San Martino
4. Hotel Palazzo Alexander
5. San Luca Palace Hotel
6. Sogni d'Oro
7. Best Western Grand Hotel Guinigi
8. Hotel Villa Cheli
9. Al Podere di Rosa
10. Grand Universe Lucca, Autograph Collection
11. Relais San Lorenzo
12. The Nottolini Villa
13. Villa La Principessa
14. Ai Cipressi Bed & Breakfast
15. Resort Dei Limoni
16. Hotel Diana
17. Hotel Hambros il Parco
18. The Tuscanian Hotel
19. Hotel Rex
20. Hotel Ilaria
Additional Info: Your driver shall meet you directly from your accommodation - hotel, villa, bed and breakfast, farmhouse or apartment. Please confirm your full address when booking and we'll see you there on the day!
Itinerary
1
Pietrasanta
Take the 45 minute drive to Pietrasanta; an old town of Roman origins rich in sculpting traditions and filled with workshops frequented by artists from all over the world. Visit the Bozzetti Sculpture Museum and get an insight into how artists make the marble come to life in a busy working artists studio (some studios may request a small entry fee). Relax with an Italian coffee in the Piazza del Duomo taking in local life alongside open air art and sculpture before travelling on up into the Carrara marble quarries
Duration: 2 hours
2
Marble Caves of Carrara
An immense cultural and historical patrimony, these mountains were first exploited by Julius Caesar and have supplied artists from Michelangelo to Henry Moore. Choose from 2 tours. Visit the inside of a working quarry (10euro per person) where you are taken into the heart of the Apuan Alps to discover a marble cathedral carved deep inside the mountain. This is still an active quarry with working machinery and once inside you will see first-hand how marble is cut Or you may wish to join a 4x4 guided tour (10euro per person) travelling through a network of 30 open-air active quarries arriving at an altitude of almost 1000m above sea level. Here, the scenery is almost lunar with spectacular views across the sea. Your tour guide will tell you about methods and stages of excavation, from cutting to loading huge marble blocks on top of the trucks right in front of your eyes. It was here where the James Bond chase scene was filmed in Quantum of Solace.
Duration: 3 hours
3
Colonnata
The perfect stop to enjoy lunch is in quarryman's village of Colonnata, renowned for its lard cured in huge marble vats.
Duration: 2 hours
Additional info
• Specialized infant seats are available
• Service animals allowed
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
