Mount Corchia - Apuan Alps Virtual Tour
Mount Corchia (1677 meters a.s.l.) is located in the southern part of the Apuan Alps in the municipality of Stazzema. The complex formed by it is the largest karsts system known in Italy and it is characterized by numerous caves like the "Tana dei Gracchi", the "Buca del Cane" and the famous "Antro del Corchia". The panorama from the top of these mountains, on a clear day, is wonderful: we can admire the Tyrrhenian coast with the isles of the Tuscan archipelago (Elba, Gorgona, Capraia) and the Corsica, the Ligurian coast and the Maritime Alps in the distance, the other peaks of the Apuan Alps like Mount Cimone, Tambura, Pania della Croce ...
In this virtual journey we go from Passo Croce (1150 a.s.l.) to the Tavolini Quarries (A and B) active since 1972 from which is extracted the marble “arabescato del Corchia” used for example in the Monument of the Unknown Soldier in Baghdad designed by the Architect Marcello d'Olivo.
MOUNT CORCHIA 360° - INTERACTIVE PANORAMAS
360 Pano > Passo Croce
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The Apuan Alps are characterized by their harsh morphology, their deep valleys, and their imposing and very inclined slopes. The Apuans are famous for the beauty of their marbles and the great cavities of the subsoil with karsts phenomena.
360 Pano > Tyrrhenian Sea and Versilia
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The marble extracted from the Apuan Alps was chosen by Michelangelo Buonarroti for some of his masterpieces. Since then the Apuans are famous all over the world for their quarries and the development of a solid artistic tradition made the territory of Versilia a land of sculptors and artists.
360 Pano > Madonna del Cavatore
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The marble mountains are a naturalistic jewel protected by a regional natural park, an ideal destination for nature-lovers. The mountainsides, the numerous karsts caves and deep caverns of attract many speleologists and mountain climbing enthusiasts.
360 Pano > Marble Quarries Tavolini A and B and the Ravaneto
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From the blue sea and the golden beaches of the Versilia the peaks of the Apuan Alps (2000 mt.) can easily be reached. A varied landscape opens to our eyes: paths through chestnut woods, valleys, prairies and mountains, picturesque “borghi”, ancient mills and imposing marble quarries.
360 Pano > Marble Quarry Tavolini B
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The greater concentration of marble quarries is situated near the town of Carrara. There are other sites in Massa, Seravezza, Stazzema, Vagli Sotto, Minucciano, Fivizzano.
360 Pano > Inside a Marble Quarry on Mount Corchia - Tavolini B
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The interior of the quarry looks like a large atrium characterized by a rectangular texture that testimony the extractions of the marble blocks. The name of the Alps derives from that of the Apuani Ligures tribe who lived here in ancient times
360 Pano > Quarry “Tavolini A” on Mount Corchia
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The traditional mining activity has given the environment particular features, originating cuts and fractures in the relief at the highest altitudes, covering several slopes with detritus (the so-called ravaneti), and opening new trails which have nowadays been abandoned and brought back to their original state.
360 Pano > Entrance to the Quarry Tavolini A and Marble Blocks
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The Tavolini A Quarry is close to the top of Mount Corchia: view of the access to the inside of the quarry and machinery for the extraction of marble blocks. The Apuan Alps are a mountain range in northern Tuscany, Italy. They are included between the valleys of the Serchio and Magra rivers, and, to north-west, the Garfagnana and Lunigiana.
