Bistecca alla Fiorentina T-bone cut of Chianina beef, grilled rare over embers
A T-bone cut from Chianina beef, grilled rare over embers with no seasoning at all: Florence's signature dish.
Read more →The hyphen in the name is not bureaucratic tidiness. Massa and Carrara are two towns of almost identical size, and a government decree of 25 January 2024 made both official capitals. This is the northernmost province of Tuscany and of central Italy, wedged between Liguria, Emilia-Romagna and the Lucca area, with the Ligurian Sea in front and the Apuan Alps immediately behind. Seventeen municipalities, under 200,000 residents: the smallest population in the region.
Above Carrara the mountainside is cut open by marble quarries, where Michelangelo came in person to choose his blocks and where Fantiscritti is open to visitors. The town's fine arts academy has trained sculptors since 1769, and the hamlet of Colonnata gives its name to pork lard cured in marble basins. Massa plays a different hand: the Malaspina castle above the centre, Piazza Aranci with its double row of orange trees, the sand of Marina di Massa. North of both begins the Lunigiana.
Towns in the province of Massa-Carrara
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The top 2 places in Massa-Carrara
Our editors' ranking: the area's most important places, drawn from the individual town guides. See the national rankings →
1 ⛪ Churches & sanctuaries Chiesa di San Giovanni Decollato 📍 Massa Baroque church on piazza Mercurio in Massa, of 1639-41, on a central plan with an octagonal dome. 
2 🏰 Castles & palaces Torre di Castruccio 📍 Carrara Cylindrical tower at Avenza, last remnant of Castruccio Castracani's fourteenth-century fortress. Massa-Carrara and around, on the map
Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.
🍝 At the table: Tuscany
Panforte di Siena sweet of almonds, candied fruit, honey and spices pressed into a disc
Almonds, candied fruit, flour, honey and spices pressed into a low disc: Siena's panforte has a recipe documented since 1205.
Read more →✨ Tuscany by theme
🏘️ Villages 10 🏖️ Seaside 7 🏛️ UNESCO heritage 7 🍷 Food & wine 4 ♨️ Spa towns 3 🏝️ Islands 1
Tours, tickets and experiences
Bookable on GetYourGuideProvince of Massa-Carrara
Upcoming events in Massa-Carrara
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Feast of Saint Martin
📅 Every year, on 11 November
On 11 November Mulazzo celebrates its patron Saint Martin; the town hosts the Museo Archivio dei Malaspina.
Saint Stephen and the Festa della Fame e della Sete
📅 Every year, on 26 December
Filattiera celebrates Saint Stephen on 26 December. The last weekend of June, within the walls of the historic centre, comes the Festa della Fame e della Sete (Festival of Hunger and Thirst).
Saint Anthony the Abbot, patron of the Disfida fra Arcieri di Terra e Corte
📅 Every year, on 17 January; July brings the Disfida fra Arcieri di Terra e Corte, since 1971
Fivizzano celebrates Saint Anthony the Abbot on 17 January. Every July, since 1971, the Disfida fra Arcieri di Terra e Corte is repeated, a historical re-enactment of a singular archery contest held in 1571 in Piazza Medicea, with a parade of over three hundred participants in 16th-century costume.
Saint Geminianus, patron of the age-old Bonfire Challenge
📅 Every year, on 31 January, with the age-old Bonfire Challenge against the San Nicolò district
Pontremoli celebrates Saint Geminianus on 31 January, with the lighting of the traditional bonfires. In the age-old Disfida dei Falò, the San Geminiano district challenges the San Nicolò district, lighting giant bonfires on the banks of the Magra river and the Verde stream.