Journey deep into the jagged world of the Carrara marble quarries on this 4WD adventure. Exploring with a guide and a small group, discover the “white gold” that built the Pantheon and Michelangelo’s David. You’ll drive to different active quarries to connect with their people, places, and machinery, and to learn about ancient and modern excavation techniques.

Explore the surreal landscapes of the Carrara marble quarries by 4WD
Enjoy personal attention from your guide with a small-group tour
Sample the area’s signature cold cut, “lardo di Colonnata”
Learn about the different techniques used to mine this precious rock

What's Included

1 licensed guide service
1 tour by 4x4 vehicles
Insurance (by law)
Marble quarries tour
Tasting a sample of Lardo di Colonnata

everything not mentioned in inclusions

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Piazza Vittorio Veneto, 8, 54033 Carrara MS, Italy
Stadio dei Marmi , Piazza Vittorio Veneto, 8, 54033 Carrara MS, Italy Near the marble obelisk in front of the stadium and the bus stop. Search a Defender with an orange sign. From Carrara Avenza Bus L51-L52-L53-L54-L70 Direction - Carrara Ospedale

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Stadio dei Marmi (Pass By)

Carrara

1 hour 40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Lardo di Colonnata

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions

Most travelers can participate
Wear comfortable shoes and clothes
Our tours will still operate in spite of bad weather. As long as if it is safe.
Not recommended for travelers with acrophobia
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

varshachandra

Our guide Luca was great—drove up and down hairpin turns to show us the marble caves and was very knowledgeable about the process of cultivating the marble. Some awesome views of the Valley and Carrara.

Reviews

4.0

121 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 121 reviews

Fun and Informative!

varshachandra, Mar 2024

You’ll be so glad you did this!

Diana_B, Oct 2023

We especially enjoyed seeing the marble studio, mountains, and caves up close. Luca was a great guide with excellent explanations and with customizing our agenda for the changing weather. We also like Viator for making it so easy to find and participate in custom tour options.

Fascinating present and past stories

Rebecca_G, Sep 2023

Learning how this mine works made all the difference to the tour. History and present day working mingled with nature made for an interesting tour.

Off-road into a Marble Wonderland

Jason_D, Aug 2023

Such an amazing experience. It was worth every penny. First off, we were able to get picked up at the train station. That made arranging this tour a little simpler logistically. But the drive up the mountain was thrilling and the tour guides are passionate about what their doing up their, as well as the area.

Exciting tour

Jan_M, Jul 2023

The experience was fantastic. The lady that guided the tour was very friendly and clear. The marble cave has really made a big impression on us. The ride With the jeep was exciting, only our driver was not very kind, he doesn’t like his job very much I think. His driving skills were ok. With anorher driver it would be 5 stars.

Great tour

Andrew_R, Jun 2023

Great tour, very knowledgeable guide, fun driving in the Defenders. Multiple spots to visit throughout the quarry

Simply incredible!!

Leslye_S, Jun 2023

Our guide was AMAZING and the mountain was incredible. It was an awesome tour and we couldn't have had a better day! An easy ride on the train and it was the perfect cruise ship get away!!

Worth it!

Laura_S, Oct 2022

Our guide was amazing and the tour was a full 2.5 hours! We learned SO much! Bring a jacket and sunglasses! (Not for those with a fear of heights)

Overbooked so cancelled

John_S, Oct 2022

They did not have a spot so they cancelled on us. They have not yet refunded our payment. I will Update this review if they send refund. I understand overbooking can be an issue.

Response from Host, Oct 2022

Thanks for your bad review. We already refunded you . Please next time book more in advance.

Very interesting, and different!

Karine_A, Sep 2022

Really impressive and informative tour. If you go on a hot summer day, bring lots of water, or purchase some before the tour from the store at the meeting place. The whiteness of the site seems to reflect the sun even more, and there is marble dust in the air (which is perfectly safe as we've learned). The views are wonderful. If you get there early as we did, there is a small road near the meeting point leading to the remains of an ancient quarry with information posters along the trail, explaining how the Romans extracted the marble over 2000 years ago. This can be reached by car (there is a parking area uphill), or you can walk it but some might consider it steep.

Very interesting to see...

Melinda_H, Jun 2022

Very interesting to see the marble. Detailed english guide, steep roads. The tour leader was not kind.

Definitely worth the time and money

Ryan_B, Jun 2022

Absolutely awesome. 4x4 roads were fun. Beautiful mountains. Fascinating to see all aspects of mining marble. Highly recommend.

Fantastic Carrara tour

Donna_V, Jun 2022

The excursion is fantastic and I highly recommend it. It is truly mind boggling and amazing. And includes a white knuckle drive with hairpin turns - and sometimes going down them in reverse. You will never look at marble the same way. My only feedback is that the owner is rude, sexist and condescending. But I would still highly recommend the tour.

Worth it if you're into geology. Skip it if you don't like roughing it.

Kathleen_L, May 2022

The tour was awesome, the driver very knowledgeable. However, the drive is very bumpy and not good for those with back or hip issues. Don't wear good shoes, they get mucked up with marble mud.

Fantastic tour!

June_K, May 2022

This tour was beyond anything we could imagine!! Our driver negotiated the jeep with unbelievable skill! I would not change anything!

Educational and Fun!

Deborah_M, May 2022

Very interesting tour. A small convoy of 4-wheel drive jeeps will take you up winding and steep inclines until you reach points of interest. The tour guides were very informative and patient with passengers. We recommend to plan to arrive 30 minutes early to take into account travel delays in the area of the mountain (we were stuck at a tunnel for 35 minutes). We also do not recommend this tour for people with bad backs or heart problems as your ride in the back of a covered jeep is very bumpy and not very comfortable. May also want to think twice if you are easily carsick. We managed well (women aged 60-80) but there were a few others who were uncomfortable.

Vertiginous tour of the marble caves from bottom to top

Philippe_G, Mar 2022

Very impressive tour inside the marble quarries. The drive to the top is vertiginous, impressive driving. We were two french in a group of italians, and our guide gave us very good explanations in english, very interesting. Definitely recommended tour!

Great experience

Mirjam_K, Oct 2021

The guide was very knowledgeable and the jeep tour itself was fun too. The meeting point isn't clearly marked, we drove past it at first and since phone reception isn't that good in the valley, it wasn't easy to find it.

Excellent tour!

Michele_L, Sep 2021

The tour was incredible! Only problem was there were no COVID safety precautions in place. Wasn’t asked for green pass or equivalent. 8-9 people in a small jeep. Other than that……excellent experience.

Thrilling!

Cynthia_O, Sep 2021

Absolutely thrilling ride. Driver Heidi has a great passion for driving and telling us the many uses and qualities of marble. Really worthwhile. It's tricky to find the meeting place. Yes, when in doubt, keep going up!

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