Carrara marble Carrara marble Carrara marble is a type of white or blue-grey marble of high quality, popular for use in sculpture and building decor. It is quarried in the city of Carrara located in the province of Massa and Carrara in the Lunigiana, the northernmost tip of modern-day Tuscany, Italy. Carrara marble has been used since the time of Ancient Rome. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the marble quarries were monitored by the Cybo and Malaspina families who ruled over Massa and Carrara. The family created the "Office of Marble" in 1564 to regulate the marble mining industry. The city
Duchy of Massa and Carrara Duchy of Massa and Carrara The Duchy of Massa and Carrara was the duchy that controlled the towns of Massa di Carrara and Carrara; the area is now part of unified Italy, but retains its local identity as the province of Massa-Carrara. The core of this territory was formed on 22 February 1473 when Iacopo Malaspina, Marquis of Massa, purchased the Lordship of Carrara (villages of Carrara, Moneta and Avenza). At first the marquis resided in Carrara but, as Carrara was frequently invaded by French forces, he moved to Massa. The house of Malaspina became extinct in the male line