Cinque Terre - Page 3

Marina di Carrara - Carrara - Quarry of Fantiscritti

On the last day of our vacation we wanted to go to the marble quarries in the mountains of Carrara. After I had been threatened twice in three-lane traffic circles with the fist 🙂, we ended up in cold and wet weather in the Apuan Alps at the quarry of Fantiscritti. Tours with the jeep on the Mountain were too dangerous today we were told, but we could take a tour into the underground mining tunnels. Huge halls awaited us with construction machines. But also a special sparkling wine is stored here. On one of the large marble blocks was a copy of a painting by Michelangelo, the Creation of Adam from the Sistine Chapel.

The latter procured the raw material for his works in Carrara and made the marble world famous. Already in the time of the Roman Republic was mined here, there are up to 50 different types of marble here. The Statuario, the marble for statues, is the most valuable. We still visited the small museum here, absolutely interesting, especially the historical development of the mining methods. But the industry is under pressure today. For the fact that the marble today only 25% for works of art or buildings the other 75% is processed to calcium carbonate for the production of toothpaste, the associated environmental damage is no longer acceptable.

Besides the exploitation of nature and landscape in the Apuan Alps, millions of tons of rubble mountains increase the risk of avalanches and landslides. Some mountain tops have already disappeared. Marble dust particles contaminate springs and rivers. Dependence on the workplace has kept spirits subdued until now, only with increasing use of machines instead of people, attitudes are changing. A short visit to the city of Carrara followed, there is marble present everywhere. The large rosette on the Cathedral of Sant'Andrea Apostolo was cut from a block of marble. Marble is also found in the beautiful Piazza Alberica, at the Fontana della Beatrice at the marble basin and as decorative elements in the pavement. Then we drove back to the sea, to Marina di Carrara. I was looking for the youth hostel where i stayed in 2014 on the Way to Jerusalem and did not find it anymore 🙄. So we ran for it to the pontile on the beautiful sandy beach.

Return via Switzerland, Bregenz and Ulm

The week was over far too quickly and it was back home again. Passing Genoa and Milan, the route later ran through misty mountain landscapes with idyllic lakes through beautiful Switzerland. But driving all day is too boring for us, so we spent another day in Bregenz on Lake Constance. After a walk on the lake promenade we came to the wonderful lake stage. Verdi's Rigoletto was on the program, a magnificent clown's head presented itself on the movable stage. On next day we made a last stop in Ulm, a walk on the Danube bike path, the visit of the cathedral and the great facade of the city hall, could still delay the end the end of our short trip.