I stopped at a Mediterranean port where few cruise ships dock. The hidden gem wowed me without the crowds.

Joey HaddenAug 9, 2024, 02:14 IST

Business Insider's reporter stopped at Marina di Carrara, a cruise port in Italy, and took a tour of an open-air Carrara marble quarry.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I took a Mediterranean cruise in 2023 and stopped at Marina di Carrara, a lesser-known Italian port.
I visited an active quarry in the Apuan Alps of Carrara — home to the coveted Carrara marble.

I've stopped in 10 cruise ports, from the US to the Caribbean to the Mediterranean. I've even been to some of the busiest cruise ports in the world, such as Barcelona and Cozumel, Mexico, where I stood in long lines and shuffled through crowds to find my tour guides.

But my favorite port wasn't crowded — and that's not the only reason it stood out to me.

On the coast of Tuscany, Marina di Carrara is chiefly for industrial ships. According to Cruise Critic, not many cruise ships stop there — making it ideal for travelers who want to avoid tourist traps.

Marina di Carrara has marvelous mountain landscapes and a unique history of luxurious, coveted marble worth diving into.

I think it's a hidden-gem destination in the Mediterranean. Check it out.

From far away, the Apuan Alps in Carrara, Italy, look snowcapped. But they're actually covered in white marble.

A view of the Apuan Alps from the deck of a cruise ship.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

The mountain range is home to some of the most coveted marble in the world, and it's dotted with marble quarries. I got a closer look during a group tour.

The drive up the mountains to the quarries.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

The Apuan Alps are in Tuscany, Italy, off the coast of the cruise port Marina di Carrara.

The Apuan Alps are in the province of Carrara in Tuscany.Google Maps

Before the tour, I learned that Michelangelo used Carrara marble to create his famous David statue.

A close-up of Michelangelo's David statue.Franco Origlia/Getty Images

Today, Carrara marble is a $1 billion industry that produces products from tiles and countertops to toothpaste.

Marble sizes used for floor tiles (L) and toothpaste (R).Joey Hadden/Business Insider

My tour started at 9 a.m. when our guide picked us up from a dock in Carrara and drove us through the town to the marble mountain range.

Our tour guide drives us to the quarries.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Then we drove up windy, cliffside roads and saw open-air quarries along the way.

Winding roads lead up to the quarries.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Before visiting the quarries, we stopped at the tour center's home base and picked up helmets and vests for safety.

The author wears protective gear at the quarry.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Once we geared up, we headed to one of the many open-air marble quarries to see how it's cut and transported down the mountains.

Construction at an open-air quarry in the mountains.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

Cutting one giant slab of marble takes about five days. The first four days are spent cutting the slab out of the mountain.

Cutting a slab of marble takes an entire work week.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

On day five, workers remove the slab from the mountain.

Cables inserted into the marble on a mountain.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

From there, machinery moves the slab onto the bed of a truck to be driven down the mountain and transported around the world.

A truck drives a gigantic slab of marble down the mountain.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I was surprised and mesmerized by the amount of time and work that goes into cutting and transporting just one slab of marble. And that helped me understand why it's so valuable.

An active quarry next to a cliff of marble.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I was surprised and mesmerized by the amount of time and work that goes into cutting and transporting just one slab of marble. And that helped me understand why it's so valuable.

The marble tour gave me an in-depth look at this hidden-gem destination, and I know I'll be back.

The author enjoys the marble tour.Joey Hadden/Business Insider

I flew business class for the first time with KLM. My 7-hour flight with the Dutch airline even ended with an amazing free gift.

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I stopped at a Mediterranean port where few cruise ships dock. The hidden gem wowed me without the crowds.

From far away, the Apuan Alps in Carrara, Italy, look snowcapped. But they're actually covered in white marble.

The mountain range is home to some of the most coveted marble in the world, and it's dotted with marble quarries. I got a closer look during a group tour.

The Apuan Alps are in Tuscany, Italy, off the coast of the cruise port Marina di Carrara.

Before the tour, I learned that Michelangelo used Carrara marble to create his famous David statue.

Today, Carrara marble is a $1 billion industry that produces products from tiles and countertops to toothpaste.

My tour started at 9 a.m. when our guide picked us up from a dock in Carrara and drove us through the town to the marble mountain range.

Then we drove up windy, cliffside roads and saw open-air quarries along the way.

Before visiting the quarries, we stopped at the tour center's home base and picked up helmets and vests for safety.

Once we geared up, we headed to one of the many open-air marble quarries to see how it's cut and transported down the mountains.

Cutting one giant slab of marble takes about five days. The first four days are spent cutting the slab out of the mountain.

On day five, workers remove the slab from the mountain.

From there, machinery moves the slab onto the bed of a truck to be driven down the mountain and transported around the world.

I was surprised and mesmerized by the amount of time and work that goes into cutting and transporting just one slab of marble. And that helped me understand why it's so valuable.

The marble tour gave me an in-depth look at this hidden-gem destination, and I know I'll be back.