What is Carrara famous for?

Carrara, Italy, is famous for the brilliant white marble that is mined from its quarries. Carrara, city, Massa-Carrara provincia (province), Toscana (Tuscany) regione (region), north-central Italy. It lies along the Carrione River in the foothills of the Apuan Alps, just northwest of Massa and east of La Spezia.

Why was Carrara Italy so important to the Renaissance?

History of The Mines of Carrara Marble Carrara miners became known for their anarchistic political views, and they were the instigators of the Lunigiana revolt in January of 1894. It’s regarded with a great deal of esteem as the quintessential marble that Renaissance artists used.

What is the meaning of Carrara?

: a white statuary marble.

What has Carrara marble been used for in the past?

Because of its granular texture, homogeneity and ability to take a polish, marble has been used for sculptures and other artistic purposes for more than 3,000 years. It has long been employed as an exterior layer on buildings.

What color is Carrara?

Carrara Marble The most common Italian marble is Carrara, named for the region it comes from. “Carrara has a gray field, or background,” says Bruno, “with a light gray veining.” This stone can also tend toward blue-gray, and the patterning is usually soft and feathery.

How old is Carrara?

Here, a prized marble – bright white with undulating soft blue-grey veins – has been quarried for more than 2,000 years. It was the Ancient Romans who first used this flawless limestone to build such lasting monuments as the Pantheon and Trajan’s Column.

What is the meaning of Carrera?

Spanish: topographic name for someone living by a main road, carrera ‘thoroughfare’, originally a road passable by vehicles as well as pedestrians (Late Latin carraria (via), a derivative of carrum ‘cart’), or a habitational name from any of various places named with this word.

What is swan down?

Definition of swansdown 1 : the soft downy feathers of the swan often used as trimming on articles of dress. 2 : a heavy cotton flannel that has a thick nap on the face and is made with sateen weave.

How did Romans transport marble?

Then, aided by other workers, they had to extract the stone from mountain quarries and transport it to the worksite, using ropes and wooden winches, cranes, sledges, carts and rollers.

Why is there so much marble in Italy?

The luxury stone comes the Apuan Alps, a mountain range in northern Tuscany that stretches for 58 km and reaches 2,000 meters high. Marble has been carved here since the Ancient Roman times, and because of its millennial history, the Carrara quarries have produced more marble than any other place on Earth.

Is Carrara marble warm or cool?

White Carrara marble is a natural stone with a beautiful, luminous white color with some gray undertones. It is a cool white and pairs well with other cool colors or with contrasting jewel tones.