Today it was off to Italy. On our way to the first destination we planned a stop at the Carrara marble mines. We tried to fit them in the last time we were in Italy, but never found the time. About an hour north of Pisa, three mountain peaks are full of some of the finest white marble in the world. In fact, this is even the place Michelangelo came for his marble. We chose to tour the Fantiscritti mine, which is unique since it is the only one in the world inside the mountain. All of the other mines are created by digging into the side of the mountain. Hundreds of years ago they created a tunnel through the different mountain peaks to make it easier to get the marble down to the harbor. After being abandoned for many years, one company discovered a high quality of marble inside, and started working from the inside out. They only cut new marble when an order is placed and have a long way to go to before ever reaching the outside. 
This little 65 ton piece will set you back about $65,000. (plus shipping of course)
Almost covered by the clouds, here are a couple of typical mines on the outside of mountain.
A look across the Carrara rooftops on our way back down the mountain.
