Carrara Marble is famous worldwide. It adorns counters in the fanciest kitchens around the world and was the material of choice of the great Renaissance genius, Michelangelo. To this day, the area in and around Carrara is steeped in the tradition of marble quarrying and of parcelling it off to make beautiful things. You can go on exhilarating 4x4 tours through the glittering marble quarries of the region to see where the journey of so many famous art objects and buildings began, you can explore the stunning and exquisitely carved marble gem that is Carrara’s Cathedral and how the material can be used to its fullest and most extraordinary extent, you can wander around the many marble beauties in the town of Carrara, and you can also seek out the exceptionally lovely sculptures made of Carrara marble in churches and galleries and museums all over Tuscany, Italy, and the world.
For those interested in art and architecture, this area, and its remarkable landscape is endlessly fascinating and key in the development of European culture and design and is a place well worth exploring if you have found a vacation rental in the Massa-Carrara area. However, if you want to get a real sense of the rich heritage and incredible works produced in Carrara all under one roof, then there is one place that you need to visit and pencil into any itinerary of the region: MuSA, or Museo Virtuale della Scultura e Architettura di Pietrasanta (the Virtual Museum of Sculpture and Architecture in Pietrasanta).
The Virtual Museum of Sculpture and Architecture has “virtual” in the title as it has both a physical museum space in Pietrasanta, a town in which Michelangelo himself worked and lived, and an online “virtual museum space”. It is dedicated to promoting the area and the industry around marble that has been so integral to it for centuries now. They aim to celebrate all of the key players in the marble industry, from entrepreneurs to artisans, sculptors to painters, and more who have been drawn to Pietrasanta and Carrara in order to create beautiful things.
MuSA hosts a permanent collection of sculptures that are located inside in the indoor exhibition spaces, as well as dotted around the grounds outdoors, and also plays host to a very rich calendar of events throughout the year. The museum is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and innovative multimedia devices to allow for an interactive and engaging gallery visit and experience. This includes various devices and stations for making and viewing videos, films, and photographs and for offering virtual tours of the different exhibitions and events that are taking place in the physical museum at any given time. Visitors can use six touch screens located throughout the exhibition space to visit and interact with the various places and protagonists involved in the story of marble in order to learn more and make the most out of the opportunity.
Come visit this amazing museum and ode to this precious material and industry. See incredible works of art, learn how they have been, and continue to be, made, listen to interviews with artists and artisans explaining why it is that they do what they do, and discover all about the rich heritage of marble in Carrara. If you have found a vacation rental in Pietrasanta and are spending time in the area, a visit to the museum is a must for anyone who has ever admired the work of Michelangelo. Once you learn more about the history and context of Carrara marble, David will be all the more impressive and astounding, we promise…
The Virtual Museum of Sculpture and Architecture has “virtual” in the title as it has both a physical museum space in Pietrasanta, a town in which Michelangelo himself worked and lived, and an online “virtual museum space”. It is dedicated to promoting the area and the industry around marble that has been so integral to it for centuries now. They aim to celebrate all of the key players in the marble industry, from entrepreneurs to artisans, sculptors to painters, and more who have been drawn to Pietrasanta and Carrara in order to create beautiful things.
MuSA hosts a permanent collection of sculptures that are located inside in the indoor exhibition spaces, as well as dotted around the grounds outdoors, and also plays host to a very rich calendar of events throughout the year. The museum is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and innovative multimedia devices to allow for an interactive and engaging gallery visit and experience. This includes various devices and stations for making and viewing videos, films, and photographs and for offering virtual tours of the different exhibitions and events that are taking place in the physical museum at any given time. Visitors can use six touch screens located throughout the exhibition space to visit and interact with the various places and protagonists involved in the story of marble in order to learn more and make the most out of the opportunity.
Come visit this amazing museum and ode to this precious material and industry. See incredible works of art, learn how they have been, and continue to be, made, listen to interviews with artists and artisans explaining why it is that they do what they do, and discover all about the rich heritage of marble in Carrara. If you have found a vacation rental in Pietrasanta and are spending time in the area, a visit to the museum is a must for anyone who has ever admired the work of Michelangelo. Once you learn more about the history and context of Carrara marble, David will be all the more impressive and astounding, we promise…
