The mountains in the Carrera region are all made of marble. This is one of the first up close views. The bridge is how the marble used to be transported before current technology. This is where the Michelangelo would come for his marble. He would come here to hand pick the blocks of marble. One example is his Pieta, it is currently on display at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
Once in the marble caves we were able to get a better understanding of how the marble block are extracted. The only marble coming from this region in the white and grey varieties.
The floor, ceilings and walls were all marble. There is no other elements in the cave.
This is a tractor that is used to remove the marble from the caves. Each block of marble weighs several tons.
In order to be in the caves we all had to have our hard harts on. It was very cold in the cave around fifty degrees Fahrenheit.
An example of how exact they have to be when extracting and cutting the marble. The excavators have to have it down to a science to ensure the caves do not collapse!
This is a cut out of the Virgin Mary and Child. It happened around Christmas time one year and has become a shrine to the cave workers. It was not created on purpose, a block was stuck and they had to do all they could to remove it. This was the result!
This is the Valley of Michelangelo. It is amazing to think they have been extracting marble for hundreds of years and still can with out running out.
The marble caves in the background.
Always wanting to take unique pictures. Riding the bulls in Carrara.
A picture of the city from up in the mountains. I could see the ocean, it was such a beautiful sight.
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