Massa-Carrara is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is named after the two main towns in its territory: Carrara and Massa, its capital. Massa and Carrara are two distinct cities approximately 8 kilometers apart, situated at foot of the Apuane Alps.

Massa is divided into two parts, a medieval one founded by the Malaspina family and a modern one, which, with the expansion of industry and tourism, now reaches to the coast.

Carrara, the name gives away the town’s background. Everything is made of marble: monuments, churches, statutes, fountains, decoration on the buildings and all the ornamental details in the city.

Places to visit in Massa

Piazza degli Aranci

Or Square of Oranges which takes its name form the plants all around it on three sides in a most suggestive setting. Palazzo Cybo Malaspina is also in the square.

The Rocca

The Rocca Fortress is a fortified complex reached via a paved slope. A visit to the walls provides an excellent view of the city.

Places to visit in Carrara

The Duomo

Cathedral in Romanesque-Gothic style is a beautiful building dating from the 13th Century. The facade with its white and grey stripes has a portico of pillars with illustrated capitals. The rosette above is rich in Gothic decoration.

Museo Civico del Marmo

the Civic Marble Museum in which all the techniques for excavating marble over the course of millennia is documented. The corridor is a museum of marble, lined with marble slabs of over 1000 different kinds and is certainly a unique sight. Photographs, equipment, tools and works of art from the Roman period to date are also on display in the museum.

The Versilia

The Versilia also called the Tuscan Riviera because of the many beach resorts that line this 30 km. strip, stretches from Marina di Carrara in the north down to Marina di Torre del Laggo Puccini. In the 1820s towns such as Massa and Camaiore developed marinas along the part of the coast they controlled. These inlands towns are linked by roads to their coastal twins. Here villas and hotels with fine walled gardens line the streets, with the mountains of the Alpi Apuane as a backdrop. The beaches are divided into numerous bathing establishments run by hotels or private operators, who charge for use of the beach and its facilities. The surrounding area of Massa-Carrara has a unique landscape. The whiteness of the marble against the green of the surrounding woods is truly impressive. The area is speckled with monasteries, little churches and fortresses.

For more information visit

Provincia Massa Carrara