Colonnata
| Colonnata | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Houses in Piazza Palestro | |||
| Country | Italy | ||
| region | Tuscany | ||
| province | Massa-Carrara (MS) | ||
| local community | Carrara | ||
| Coordinates | 44 ° 5 ' N , 10 ° 9' E | ||
| height | 532 m slm | ||
| Residents | 295 (2001) | ||
| Telephone code | 0585 | CAP | 54033 |
Colonnata is a fraction of the municipality of Carrara in the province of Massa-Carrara , region of Tuscany . The village is located in the Apuan Alps at an altitude of 532 meters.
The town, which had 295 inhabitants in 2001, closes a gorge above Carrara through which the Carrione River flows. Colonnata can only be reached on a single road, via numerous switchbacks.
history
Colonnata was founded around 40 AD for the extraction of marble. According to tradition, the name "Colonnata" goes back to a colony of slaves who were used by the Romans in the marble quarries. The existence of such a colony is proven by numerous historical and archaeological evidence.
The town is a place of quarry workers, which lies above the Bacino di Fantiscritti basin , where Carrara marble is quarried . In the vicinity of Colonnata, the Carrara marble types Venato, Arabescato , Bardiglio and also Statuario , the sculptor's stone, are mined.
Attractions
Located in the middle of the marble quarries of Massa , the abundant building material there characterizes the image of Colonnata. Buildings, squares, pedestrian walkways and monuments are made of marble. Numerous private houses are unplastered and show facade elements made of Carrara marble.
- The local marble monument and the cemetery for the quarry workers who died are worth seeing.
- In the church of San Bartolomeo of Colonnata there is a bas-relief in marble and bronze, which commemorates the twentieth anniversary of the death of Pope John XXIII. was set up.
- The Piazza Palestro is completely covered with marble slabs. In 1957 a marble monument of the Italian freedom hero Giuseppe Mazzini was erected on the piazza .
Lardo di Colonnata
In Colonnata restaurants, trattorias and small shops offer the specialty of the place, the Lardo from Colonnata ( Lardo di Colonnata ). This particularly mature, fat bacon matures in marble basins for six months. It is quite possible that methods for preserving pork were introduced in Colonnata as early as Roman times. Lardo di Colonnata used to be the food of the stone workers who needed high calorie food for their hard work. Today it's a specialty.
Vergheto mountain village
To the northeast of Colonnata, 1.5 km from the village, lies the abandoned mountain village of Vergheto ( ⊙ ) at an altitude of 840 m . Once inhabited by quarry workers in the summer months, there is an impressive panoramic view of the surrounding mountains and marble quarries. A trail marked 38 leads to Vergheto and into the mountains of the marble cliffs, which leads from Vergheto to a small junction to the left, where the marked trail 195 begins. At first the path is easy to walk, then you pass a small source of a mountain river, from there it goes steadily uphill. You come to the Cima del Vergheto (837 m high), then the Cima d'Uomo (968 m high). If you continue past La Bandita , you will come back down to Collonata. The route takes about 3 to 4 hours, is demanding and requires good trainers, or better still hiking boots. The descent is strenuous, but rewarding for this unforgettable view of the marble quarries.
literature
- Emanuele Repetti: COLONNATA DI CARRARA (Columnata) nell'Alpe Apuana. In: Dizionario Geografico Fisico Storico della Toscana (1833–1846) , online edition of the University of Siena (PDF, Italian)
Web links
- Website of the Comune di Carrara: Colonnata (Italian)
- Regulation (EC) No. 1856/2004 (PDF)(Lardo di Colonnata)
Individual evidence
- ^ Official website of the ISTAT ( Istituto Nazionale di Statistica ) on the 2001 population figures in the province of Massa-Carrara, accessed on April 8, 2018 (Italian)