While marble plays the leading role in the economy of the slopes of the Apuan Alps facing the Tyrrhenian Sea, there are, however, extensive woods of beech, chestnut and fir surrounding towns and villages of notable artistic and historical importance such as Seravezza, which, in its oldest part, has an...

The flavours of the Tuscany are strong ones that are often wedded to the aromas of the sea and Liguria. The now famous lard of Colonnata is matured in marble basins and flavoured with rosemary, while pesto is served with testeroli of Pontremoli, pieces of foccacia made of flour and water and baked in...

Aulla is the main commercial town in the area located at the A15 exit of the Parma-La Spezia motorway. Although not the prettiest of towns (the old town was destroyed by allied bombardments in the Second World War) it is being largely re-developed in modern Italian style. The town, which has a population...

health-giving waters There are two spas in the province of Massa-Carrara: Equi Terme, on the Northern slopes of the Apuan Alps, and San Carlo. In the Garfagnana, easily reached from Lucca, there is the important spa of Bagni di Lucca. Equi Terme is a typical medieval village in a splendid setting dominated...