Carrara 454788 223600492 2008-07-04T20:42:23Z Lightbot 7178666 Units/dates/other {{otheruses}} {{Infobox CityIT | img_coa = Carrara-Stemma.png| official_name = Comune di Carrara| region = [[Tuscany]] | province = [[Province of Massa-Carrara|Massa-Carrara]] (MS) | elevation_m = 100| area_total_km2 = 71| population_as_of = [[December 31]], [[2004]] | population_total = 65296| population_density_km2 = 923| timezone = [[Central European Time|CET]], [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]]+1 | coordinates = {{coor dm|44|04.75|N|10|06.00|E}}| frazioni = Codena, Bedizzano, Bergiola, Colonnata, Miseglia, Torano, Sorgnano, Avenza, Marina di Carrara, [[Castelpoggio]], Fontia, Gragnana, Noceto | telephone = 0585| postalcode = 54033| gentilic = Carraresi| saint = San Ceccardo| day = [[June 16]] | mayor = Andrea Angelo Zubbani }} '''Carrara''' is a [[city]] in the [[province of Massa-Carrara]] ([[Tuscany]], [[Italy]]), famous for the white or blue-gray [[marble]] quarried there. It is on the [[Carrione]] river, some 100&nbsp;km west-northwest of [[Florence]]. ==Motto== '''Fortitudo mea in rota''' (My force is in the wheel) ==History== The municipality of Carrara was established in 1235. Over the centuries it was ruled by [[Pisa]] (1235), [[Lucca]] (1322), [[Genoa]] (1329), and [[Milan]] (1343). After the death of [[Filippo Maria Visconti]] of [[History of Milan|Milan]] in 1477, Carrara was fought over by Tommaso Campogregoso, lord of [[Sarzana]], and the Malaspina family. Carrara and Massa formed the [[Duchy of Massa and Carrara]] from the [[15th century|15<sup>th</sup>]] to the [[19th century|19<sup>th</sup> century]]. In 1929, the municipalities of Carrara, Massa and [[Montignoso]] were merged in a single municipality, called ''Apuania''. In 1945 the previous situation was restored. Carrara is the birthplace of the [[International Federation of Anarchists]] (IFA), formed in 1968. ==Main sights== {{Expand-section|date=June 2008}} *Cathedral (12th century). *Ducal Palace (16th century), now the seat of the Fine Arts Academy. ==Economy and culture== [[Image:carrara.marble.quarries.in.italy.arp.jpg|thumb|right|The area around Carrara, seen from an aircraft flying at 33000 feet. The town of Carrara is at the top of the picture, nearest to the [[marble]] [[quarry|quarries]] which are the white markings on the mountains]] [[Image:Carrara01.jpg|left|thumb|A Carraran marble quarry]] '''Carrara marble''' has been used since the time of [[Ancient Rome]]; the [[Pantheon, Rome|Pantheon]] and [[Trajan's Column]] in [[Rome]] are constructed of it. Many [[sculpture]]s of the [[Renaissance]], such as [[Michelangelo]]'s [[Michelangelo's David|''David'']], were carved from Carrara marble. For Michelangelo at least, Carrara marble was valued above all other stone, except perhaps that of his own quarry in [[Pietrasanta]]. The [[Marble Arch]] in [[London]] and the [[Duomo di Siena]] are also made from this stone. In addition to the [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Marble_quarry marble quarries], the city has academies of sculpture and fine arts and a [[museum]] of statuaries and antiquities. The local marble is exported around the world, and marble from elsewhere is also fashioned and sculpted commercially here. An international stone and machinery exhibition, [http://www.carraramarmotec.com CarraraMarmotec], takes place in Carrara. ==Derivation of name== {{Refimprove|date=March 2007}} The word "Carrara" likely comes from the ancient term "Kar" (stone). Ancient Romans quarried the marble, loaded it onto ships at the port of [[Luni, Italy|Luni]] and took it to Rome. According to Saint Girolamo, the name Carrara derives from “car” which means "wagons" and from “iara” that means "Moon", so is the “City of the Moon on the Wagons”. [[Image:Carrara marble mt sagro.jpg|right|thumb|Mt Sagro and nearby quarries]] Another hypothesis (Repetti) is that the term is derived from the French “careers”, which in turn is borrowed from “carrariae”, a Latin term meaning quarry. Carrara may derive from a preRoman term : “kair” (Celtic) or to one from Liguria: “kar”, that means "stone" and therefore: “car+aria” meaning “place of stones”. ==Famous Carraresi== * [[Gianluigi Buffon]] * [[Giorgio Chinaglia]] * [[Pietro Tacca]] ==Gallery== <gallery> Image:Carrara Ge.jpg|''Carrara'' by [[Nikolai Ge]], [[Taganrog Museum of Art]] </gallery> == External links == {{commons|Carrara}} *[http://www.comune.carrara.ms.it Official website] *[http://www.progettocarraraspa.it/index.php Carrara project] *[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Marble_quarry Marble Quarry in the Massa-Carrara region] *[http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17399 Landsat 7 photograph of Carrara marble quarries in August 2001] *[http://www.giucano.it/ www.giucano.it - A beautiful small town in Tuscany] {{Province of Massa-Carrara}} [[Category:Cities and towns in Tuscany]] [[ar:كرارا]] [[ca:Carrara]] [[cs:Carrara]] [[co:Carrara]] [[da:Carrara]] [[de:Carrara]] [[et:Carrara]] [[eml:Carara]] [[es:Carrara]] [[eo:Kararo]] [[fr:Carrare (Italie)]] [[it:Carrara]] [[la:Cararia]] [[nl:Carrara]] [[ja:カッラーラ]] [[nap:Carrara]] [[no:Carrara]] [[nn:Carrara]] [[pms:Carara]] [[pl:Carrara]] [[pt:Carrara]] [[ro:Carrara]] [[ru:Каррара]] [[simple:Carrara]] [[fi:Carrara]] [[sv:Carrara]] [[vo:Carrara]] [[zh:卡拉拉]]