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Carrara
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marble quarry
Explore the ancient quarries of Carrara to learn how some of the world's finest marble is mined and processed
Carrara, Italy
The environmental impact of Carrara's marble quarries
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marble quarry
marble quarry Marble quarry at Carrara, Italy.

Carrara

Italy
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Explore the ancient quarries of Carrara to learn how some of the world's finest marble is mined and processed
Explore the ancient quarries of Carrara to learn how some of the world's finest marble is mined and processedCarrara, Italy, is famous for the brilliant white marble that is mined from its quarries.
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Carrara, city, Massa-Carrara provincia (province), Toscana (Tuscany) regione (region), north-central Italy. It lies along the Carrione River in the foothills of the Apuan Alps, just northwest of Massa and east of La Spezia. Acquired by the Malaspina family in 1428, it constituted, with Massa, the principality (1568) and duchy (1633) of Massa-Carrara. The city’s notable landmarks include the 12th- to 14th-century cathedral, built in the Pisan style, and the academy of fine arts, housed in the former ducal palace. The city is famous for some of the world’s finest marble, called Carrara, taken from nearby quarries and used by sculptors from Michelangelo to Henry Moore.

Carrara, Italy
Carrara, Italy

The Marina di Carrara, immediately to the southwest, is a beach resort on the Ligurian Sea and has port facilities for handling marble. Pop. (2001) 65,034; (2011) 64,689.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn.