Carrara to Lucca via Apuan Alps and Garfagnana

Heading southeast along the Versilia coast leave the motorway (A 12) or Via Aurelia (SS 1) at Marina di Carrara and take the multi-lane highway to Carrara, known the world over for its famous white marble quarries. In Carrara itself, a predominantly modern town, the marble-clad Romanesque-Gothic cathedral and interesting Museo Civico del Marmo (marble museum) are both worth visiting. The first of the quarries is already in view, glinting white on the hillside above the town. From the northeast outskirts a road (no through way) ascends to Colonnata, a little mountain village with a long history of association with the cavatori - the men who work the quarries - and the marble workshops. Beyond Carrara the SS 446 proceeds in an almost straight line to Massa (7km/4.25mi), with its fine Renaissance Palazzo Malaspina.