Inside Italy's coveted marble quarries where artists like Michelangelo traveled for the finest materials

Joey HaddenJan 13, 2024, 00:36 IST

Insider's reporter took a tour of an open-air Carrara marble quarry in Italy.Joey Hadden/Insider

I visited an active quarry in the Apuan Alps of Carrara, Italy — home to the coveted Carrara marble.
Located in Tuscany, Carrara marble is a $1 billion industry thanks to hard workers at the quarries.

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/Insider

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

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

The Apuan Alps are in Tuscany, Italy.

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 Michaelangelo'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/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/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/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/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/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/Insider

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

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

My family went on a $3,600 VIP tour at Universal Orlando for Halloween. We didn't have to wait in line for anything and got unlimited food.

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

Inside Italy's coveted marble quarries where artists like Michelangelo traveled for the finest materials

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 recently got a closer look during a group tour.

The Apuan Alps are in Tuscany, Italy.

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.