Our life and adventures.
http://www.gergltd.com/home/2018/04/welcome-to-italy/
http://www.gergltd.com/home/2018/04/pictures-from-italy/
http://www.gergltd.com/home/2018/04/mountain-biking-in-lerici-italy/
http://www.gergltd.com/home/2018/04/more-pictures-of-the-ruins-in-redarca/
http://www.gergltd.com/home/2018/05/our-visit-to-the-carrara-marble-mines/
http://www.gergltd.com/home/2018/06/some-of-our-favorite-views-on-our-mountain-bike-rides/
We took a tour through the Carrara Marble Mines. If you’re a James Bond fan, you’ve likely had already seen them. The opening scene of Quantum of Solace was filmed here. We drove the same roads as James Bond and even visited the house the car crashes into before going over the cliff. Can you spot the similarities in our photos below?
When you see the white peaks of the mountains in this post, its all marble, not snow!
Carrera has been mined for its marble since Roman times. As our guide said, “It’s not money-making or a product, marble is our culture.” Everywhere you look in the town, you will see its marble. The use of it was never meant for show, it was simply a sturdy building material that was local and abundantly available.
We were greeted at the Carrara-Avenza trail station by our guide Gabrielle. He picked us up, along with 2 other Americans, in a Land Rover Defender. It arrived with white marble-covered tires entirely cloaked in a pale, light dusting of the stuff. After buckling up in the Rover, Ryanne spotted a sticker on the windshield which read, “It’s not a jeep, it’s a f**king Land Rover.” The tour we signed up for mentioned it would be taking us deep into the quarries and by all indications, we knew they weren’t kidding.
Everything you see in the Carrara mountains is marble. There is no granite, no sandstone, no limestone; just marble. The marble gets colored from impurities and oxidation just like any other mineral, but everywhere you look, marble. All the vegetation you see; growing in the cracks of the marble. No soil whatsoever. All the minerals for the plants come from the marble as does the water which pools in cracks of the stone.
As we slowly inch our way up the steep roads of the quarry, you see massive blocks of marble. Many the size of an American SUV and some even bigger. The marble is mined from the outside in on the mountain. Why dig for the marble when it’s everywhere, including the surface? The marble is mined by cutting it into large blocks and then shipping the blocks. A typical block is cut from the mountain-side by first drilling 3 holes into the earth: one vertical and two horizontal which all intersect. Now, a special kind of saw is brought in to begin cutting away the block from the mountain. The “saw” is really a rope which is threaded between 2 of the holes. The “saw” cuts the block by cycling the rope through these holes with the friction of the rope cutting into the earth. After 3 cuts are made, the block is free.
The rope I mentioned is no ordinary rope, but one made from a steel cable with bits of diamond on the outside giving it sharp teeth to cut. As the saw cuts into the earth, it is pulled back from the mountain on rails as to keep the rope tight against the earth to make the cut.
Driving in the Marble quarry is serious business. The roads are steep and windy like hairpins. At one point, our guide had to drive up the mountain backward for traction to get us to the next destination. Definitely not a tour for those afraid of heights. Ryanne took a great video while we were climbing one of the roads in the Land Rover to show the effect. On the drive back down the mountain, no one was saying a word. The driver asked, quite cheeky, why we were so quiet. We told him we wanted to make sure he would have no distractions and be fully focused!
Looking at the marble in the quarries brings mixed emotions. On one hand, it’s amazing to see all the engineering man has been able to create. The sheer size of the equipment, the ingenuity of the design, the ability of to “tame the mountain,” and the beauty of the marble are all a wonder. On the other hand, its a shame to think what man is doing to this natural beauty by slowing carving away at it for the sake of countertops, buildings, and cosmetic products; all things for which the marble is used.
Walking around the quarry is pretty amazing though. Seeing your footprints on the ground in the white dust makes you think of the astronaut’s footprints on the moon. All the mud puddles you see have a white-turquoise tint from the marble dust — reminds me of moon milk inside underground caves.
There are many digging sites at the quarry, most exposed to the surface. However, there are a few sites which do go into the mountain. All the quarry sites are numbered and our tour consisted of driving from site to site from the front side of the mountain to the back and then through a tunnel back to our starting point. Quite an experience!
Ciao!
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This week has had some really fun adventures.
We bought Ryanne and mountain bike and did some riding around Monte Rochetta, Monte Branzi, and Redarca including going down Toranatini (hairpin in Italian). She did really well.
We also took a ride to Tellaoro, the next town over. This was a pretty easy ride but were able to rack up quite a few miles (km’s that is) and take a small pitstop for some wine and focaccia.
I took Ryanne to see the Castle and the hidden pathways around it. We were fortunate enough to be able to get into the castle and go all the way to the top — quite the view. There’s a little sanctuary inside the castle we got a few pics of.
While I was at work one day, our landlady’s took Ryanne out on a hike to Maralunga (another nearby area next to the sea) where they picked wild asparagus. She has also been running mostly daily and exploring the area. She is quite the adventurer and has herself some nice spots to stop and get coffee, enjoy the sun, and watch the beach-goers.
We have developed an evening ritual of getting gelato at the local place in Piazza Garibaldi. We take a stroll around and catch up on each other’s day while finishing our treat.
Last night when we stopped at our favorite gelato shop, the place smelled of the strongest, sweetest lemon scent you could imagine. The shop owner hands us a lemon saying to clean, cut, and eat the next morning. In his kitchen, you could see over a hundred lemons zested to go into his gelato alla crema di limone (which is a favorite of Ryanne). Showing up daily here has its perks! On the way home, we stopped by the castle to watch some locals play kayak polo.
It’s very un-Italian apparently not have a dog. Most folks we see here have one. Our home is no different. In fact, we have 2 dogs and 2 turtles. The dogs are Rolf and Macchia (which means spot in Italian) and the turtles are named Carletto (Charlie) and Rugetta. Ryanne bought treats for the dogs so they always greet us at the gate when we come home.
A few other random pictures from the week….
Lerici, Italy
Ryanne arrived here on Sunday (left the USA on Saturday). Ken and Claire picked her up from the Gerg homestead and took her took the State College airport. After a long 18 hour trip with three flights and a train ride, we arrived together in our new home in Lerici, Italy! (I took the train to Pisa to pick her up).
So far Lerici has been very rainy with a few days of beautiful sunshine (and boy is it beautiful when the sun is out). Apparently, the weather we are seeing is not typical and supposedly should be gone soon. The temp averages around 55 degrees Fahrenheit going up to 65.
Lerici is on the bay of La Spezia and is bounded by a piazza (Piazza Garibaldi) and Castle Lerici (built around 1100 AD). The bay is also known as the Golf of the Poets because Mary Shelley (author of Frankenstein) and her husband, Percy, a famous local poet lived in Lerici. Unfortunately, Percy drowned in the bay and the name was changed as a result in his honor.
Across the Golf of the Poets is the famous Italian Riveria known as the Cinque Terre. This is on our list of places to visit — stay tuned!
Lerici is essentially built into a hill that rises about 900 feet. We live about 300 feet up the hillside off a small cobble-stone walkway called XX Settembre. Its name commemorates a famous Italian date (of which I can’t recall!). The climb up the hillside makes for a perfect post-dinner stroll to work off all the pasta we’ve been eating. It becomes challenging with a few glasses of wine keeping us on our toes (or on our butts!)
Our bedroom. We have a little “ant problem” hence the creative bed making.
Our “flat” is part of a homestead. We live underneath part of the driveway. Its hard to explain but it makes sense if you think about the homes being built into a hillside. Within our homestead, we have citrus and olive trees. We also have a few pets: 2 turtles (one named Charlie) and 2 dogs (Macchia and Rolf). We love the dogs and they are Jack Russells. Makes its really feel like home when you are greeted by man’s best friend.
Ryanne made a delicious dinner for us yesterday with local pasta from a place we like called Pasta Fresca and wine from a little shop, Baroni.
Our apartment is small but does the job. We have a kitchen and breakfast area along with our bedroom and bathroom. We are lucky enough to have our own washing machine. No dryer though as most Italians hang their clothes out to dry; we are no different.
Ciao!
~Isaac and Ry
Octopus street graffiti.
Looking into the bay from up top Castle Lerici.
Lerici, Italy. Our homestead is among the buildings in this picture.
There is a nice walkway along the bay and we stopped to take a selfie.
We had dinner at this interesting restaurant. There is no back room but a cave. We had dinner in it. For dinner, there are no menus; you are told what you will be served. Magically, its what you didn’t know you wanted.
Our friend Macchia.