from the port to Carrara marble quarries and Lucca

About this tour

This nine-hour excursion departs the port and heads inland to Carrara, the marble heartland where Michelangelo sourced stone for his sculptures. Visit the Fanti Scritti open-air museum, then opt for a Jeep ride through working quarries to see the vast white excavations firsthand. Afterwards, drive to Lucca to walk the Renaissance city walls and grab lunch at a traditional trattoria before returning to port by 4pm.

Highlights

• Fanti Scritti marble museum with free entry
• Optional Jeep tour through active Carrara quarries
• Michelangelo's original marble sources
• Lucca's intact Renaissance city walls
• Lunch at authentic local trattorias
• Air-conditioned minivan transport throughout

What to expect

You'll meet your driver at the port and travel to Carrara by comfortable minivan. At Fanti Scritti, you can explore the open-air museum at your own pace at no extra cost. If you book the Jeep experience (70 minutes, €15 on-site), you'll climb into a proper off-road vehicle and navigate the quarries themselves—dusty, dramatic, and genuinely impressive. You'll see the sheer scale of extraction and understand why this place supplied Renaissance masters. The drive to Lucca takes you through Tuscan countryside. Once there, walk the full circuit of the city walls (flat, scenic), then break for lunch at one of the town's respected trattorias. Expect moderate walking.

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