4 Places To Visit To See Carrara Marble In Action
In a previous blog post, we talked a little bit about Carrara marble and why the location does matter when it comes to choosing your marble tile. Carrara quarries are known for their high-quality, exceptionally-white colored marble. For this reason, not only is it sought after for home projects, like your bathroom floor tiles, but also by architects and artists worldwide. With over 300 active quarry sites, Carrara marble is the most used marble as well. Here are some well known places you may see Carrara marble when you travel.
THE PANTHEON
ROME, ITALY
Originally built in 126 A.D., the Pantheon was created to honor the gods of the time period. To this day it is the largest unreinforced, free-standing dome in the world. While the exterior no longer can tout being covered in marble, during the Roman empire it was completely covered. After the fall of Rome, the building was looted removing most of the marble. In 609 A.D., the building was transferred to the Catholic Church and blessed as consecrated ground. The exterior never got a new facade but the interior is full of marble from Carrara of different colors and styles.
MICHELANGELO’S WORK
VARIOUS, ITALY
One of the most famous sculptors and painters of all time, Michelangelo used only marble from Carrara for his sculpture work. The David, found in Florence, Italy, was originally intended to sit atop the campanile but was found to be too beautiful to be placed there. For many years, this sculpture made of Carrara marble was housed in the Piazza del Vecchio before being moved to its current home in the Accademia. Along with The David, Michelangelo’s Pieta series also is formed from Carrara marble.
HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS
A little closer to home, the Harvard Medical School’s current campus was constructed in Cambridge in 1906. The five main buildings that were established at the time were constructed with Carrara marble. From the columns to the floors, a lot of marble was used to exemplify the elite, and pristine nature of the school. Today, the marble has been damaged by pollution and lost much of the brilliant white color for which it is so well known for.
PEACE MONUMENT
WASHINGTON D.C., USA
While many monuments in Washington D.C. tend to be built from marble mined in the United States, and for good reason, the Peace Monument was built in 1877 out of marble mined in Carrara. The Peace Monument was commissioned to honor all the naval officers that died during the Civil War. Now part of a three-part monument group, the Peace Monument depicts the characters of Grief and History bearing witness to the events of the Civil War.
Other additional locations worth visiting that use Carrara marble in their architecture include the Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Manila and the Cattedrale Metropolitana di Santa Maria Assunta found in Siena, Italy. Both show unique uses of Carrara marble.
While your home improvement project may not be a work of astounding architecture, it is your home and even your bathroom floor tiles deserve to be from the best marble quarry in the world. Take a look online at our selection of Carrara marble tile at Transworld Tile today!
