The Cava Museo Fantiscritti, an open-air museum of the most famous marble in the world
The Cava Museo di Fantiscritti, immersed in the heart of the majestic Carrara marble quarries, represents an authentic gem set between the slopes of Monte Croce, just above the picturesque hamlet of Miseglia. Its breathtaking scenery, framed by the majestic Vara Bridges, embodies the iconic visual stereotype of the Carrara quarries. This panorama is revealed in all its magnificence both in the light of midday, with the sun dancing on the marble walls, and in the magical atmosphere of the night, when the moon paints the rocks with silver shades and the shadows lengthen mysteriously.
The two historic nineteenth-century bridges, evidence of the railway engineering of the last century, stand as monuments to human mastery. The Marble Railway, with its bold viaducts and imposing bridges, was the main means of transport of the precious marbles coming from the marble basins of Torano, Miseglia and Colonnata.
Continuing along the asphalt road, you reach the suggestive Poggio di Fantiscrive, where concerts and shows are held during the summer, offering moments of entertainment immersed in the natural beauty of the place. Through the former railway tunnel, you access the suggestive underground quarry of the Ravaccione tunnel, an imposing marble cathedral set in the heart of the mountain.
The open-air museum, inaugurated in 1987, offers a unique and evocative setting, immersed in the white splendor of marble, which tells the story and the work over the centuries inside the Carrara quarries. Not only a testimony to the hard work of the workers, but also a tribute to Carrara marble, a symbol of Italian excellence recognized throughout the world.
The thousand-year-old origins of the Cave di Fantiscritti date back to Roman times, as demonstrated by the discovery of an ancient bas-relief depicting three divinities, which gave the site its name. Inside the museum, the visitor can immerse himself in the ancient profession of the quarryman and in the daily life of the workers and their families until 1960. You can admire life-size sculptures that reproduce scenes of daily life and work, as well as the signatures of illustrious visitors such as Giambologna and Antonio Canova.
The museum also houses a laboratory where you can admire some sculptures created by Boutros Romein, which reproduce figures of workers and the tools they used to extract marble. Two routes, one outdoors and one underground, allow visitors to explore the quarry, accompanied by expert guides who illustrate the marble extraction and processing process.
In the Cava-Museo di Fantiscritti there is a notable and interesting collection of tools and objects relating to work in the quarries. Here you can also visit a typical quarrymen’s house. The museum also often hosts artist exhibitions, further enriching visitors’ cultural and artistic experience.