Colonnata: Lardo, Marble and Trails in the Apuan Alps

Colonnata is a district of the municipality of Carrara in the province of Massa-Carrara, combining a distinctive food culture with the history of marble quarrying. The village lies within the landscape of the Parco Regionale delle Alpi Apuane Regional Park, which protects landscapes and biodiversity of exceptional beauty and quality in the area. For your travel planning, this makes it a destination where regional specialties, historical insights and trails leading to the panoramas of the Apuan Alps come together.

Lardo and the History of the Marble Workers

The geographical production area of Lardo di Colonnata is the area known as Colonnata. The production, consumption and associated culture of lardo have always been connected here with the work and lives of the quarry workers. In Colonnata, lardo is prepared with aromatic herbs and then aged for six to ten months in marble basins rubbed with garlic. Such basins used for aging lardo date back to the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.

The origins of Colonnata date back to Roman times, when a group of slaves settled there to extract marble. An illustrative place for this historical focus is the Fossacava archaeological area in the hamlet of Tarnone, on the road to Colonnata. QR-code panels and a 3D video support a virtual tour of marble quarrying there, from Roman times to the present day. This makes it possible to follow the development of the quarrying area without confusing historical and contemporary perspectives.

Visits, Quarries and Hiking Trails

Anyone who would like to learn about the production of lardo not only as a finished product can gain an insight into the larderia in Colonnata at Antica Larderia Mafalda. The visit includes the workshop and an explanation of the production processes. For the cultural part of the trip, this experience can be combined with the historical traces of marble quarrying.

Marble itself can also become the focus of a visit in different ways. Toscana Tour Experience offers an approximately two-and-a-half-hour 4×4 tour through the marble quarries. It includes the Colonnata quarrying area and allows visitors to see several active open-pit and underground quarries. Those who would rather take in the landscape on foot will find hiking trails from Colonnata to the panoramas of the Apuan Alps. This provides a choice of different ways to engage with the same mountain landscape.

A Place for Different Travel Themes

Colonnata can therefore be an interesting choice if, when searching for accommodation, you do not want to consider just one item on your itinerary. Depending on your focus, one day may center on lardo culture, the next on the history of marble quarrying or a hike to the panoramas. The facts on site do not prescribe a fixed order: You can give culinary tradition, archaeology and landscape different weight according to the interests of your travel group.

In connection with the Feast of Saint Bartholomew, a Sagra del lardo was held in Colonnata for many years, attracting numerous visitors and admirers from various parts of Italy and from abroad. For your scheduling, you should consider the festival's long-standing tradition separately from the other themes of the village. Lardo, marble and the landscape of the Apuan Alps each shape Colonnata in their own way.

More Places for Your Planning

If you would like to compare other destinations for the same trip planning in addition to Colonnata, here is a compact selection: Malgrate, Zeri, Casola In Lunigiana, Caniparola, Marina di Carrara, Pontremoli, Corlaga and Fosdinovo.

For the higher-level travel overview: Massa-Carrara.