Where to stay in Carrara: between the old town and the marble quarries

Carrara is split between the historic centre, gathered around Piazza Alberica and Piazza del Duomo, and the coastal Marina di Carrara a few kilometres away. Staying in the centre puts you within easy reach of the Romanesque-Gothic Cathedral dedicated to Sant'Andrea Apostolo, the eighteenth-century palaces around Piazza Alberica, and the Academy of Fine Arts housed in Palazzo Cybo Malaspina — the ideal base for exploring the marble city's art and history on foot.

Those looking for a seaside base will find a more summer-oriented offer in Marina di Carrara, closer to the harbour and the seafront promenade. A more original alternative is staying in the quarry hamlets — Torano, Colonnata, Miseglia — on the first slopes of the Apuan Alps: few beds, but the chance to wake up among the marble basins and set off early to visit the quarries before the organised tour groups arrive.