Take the chance to wander around the quarry where Michelangelo, the famous Italian Renaissance artist, got the marble for his masterpieces or revive the James Bond “Quantum of Solace” movie car chase.Even the ancient Romans used to quarry here to build up the wondrous triumphal Trajan’s Column or the Pantheon in Rome.
The Hotel Byron, Forte dei Marmi invites you to visit the quarry with an outstanding expert, the sculptor Neal Barab with “In the Footsteps of Michelangelo”, a 3-night package:
765 Euros per person in a standard double room (valid from 4 September to 7 October 2012).
625 Euros per person in a standard double room (valid from October 8 to 31 2012).
The Hotel Byron is located in Versilia, the northernmost part of Tuscany, between the Apuan Alps – where Carrara is located - and the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is not merely by chance that it takes its name from the Fortino dei Marmi (fortress dating back to the 18th century), a storehouse for the marble block which were waiting to be shipped out to the Mediterranean.
Carrara marble has always been considered one of the most valuable marbles in the world because of its purity, the ancient Romans called it marmo lunensis (marble of the moon) because of its brilliant white colour and they used it for statues, furniture, churches and religious works (Carrara Cathedral, Pisa Cathedral and Baptistery). Illustrious artists have skilfully sculpted this material enabling us to admire its beauty still today: the Pietà and the David by Michelangelo, who personally went to the Carrara quarries to choose his blocks of marble, but also Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne and Canova’s Pauline Bonaparte. The marble quarries are so spectacular that agent 007, played by Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace speeds recklessly in his legendary Aston Martin through the Carrara quarries in a car chase that gives the audience plenty of thrills.
“In the Footsteps of Michelangelo” package details
Special programme by the Hotel Byron to discover the secrets, toil and genius of the history of marble together with the pleasures of the local cuisine by an extraordinary chef.
Day One:
Welcome drink: Prosecco, biscuits and fruit served in your guestroom.
Gourmet dinner in the one Michelin Star La Magnolia restaurant, menu by multi prize winning chef Andrea Mattei.
Day Two:
Buffet breakfast or breakfast served in your room.
10am leave the hotel for the tour of the Carrara Marble Quarries and Museum Quarry of Fantiscritti. Neal Barab, your expert guide is a Californian sculptor who has been living in Pietrasanta since 1987 and has a passion for stone in all shapes and colours. With him you will relive unique sensations and experiences thanks to his expertise and work in the field.
For lunch you can choose one of the restaurants in Colonnata and taste local specialities such as the famous lardo, a very famous Italian delicacy made of cured back fat.
On the way back to the hotel visit the Studio Pescarella, which Neal Barab cofounded in 2002. The studio provides a workspace for 12 sculptors from all over the world. It is even possible to try your hand at sculpting in Carrara marble or alabaster from Volterra.
Return to the hotel at around 4.30pm.
Day Three:
Buffet breakfast or breakfast served in your room.
Day at leisure.
Day Four:
Buffet breakfast or breakfast served in your room.
Departure (late check-out where possible).
A Hospitality Masterpiece
The Hotel Byron is located on the Seafront at Forte dei Marmi, opposite some of the most exclusive bathing establishments in the area and just a few steps from the famous discotheque La Capannina. The hotel was created by combining two Art Nouveau villas the oldest of which was built by the Dukes Canevaro di Zoagli between 1899 and 1902. These villas used to be a meeting place for the aristocracy connected with the Savoy family and were subsequently converted into a hotel, though retaining their original features. The Hotel Byron is an exclusive hotel with 29 rooms and suites overlooking the beach or the Apuan Alps. It has a large garden, swimming pool and one Michelin star restaurant La Magnolia run by the chef Andrea Mattei. There are tennis courts and horse riding facilities nearby in the large Parco della Versiliana. The Versilia Golf Club with its 18-hole golf course is located 4 kilometres away. The hotel interior décor is Art Nouveau in style with refined details, but there are also contemporary sculptures by Neal Barab both inside and outside in the garden. Guests can relax in a quiet atmosphere typical of large private residences and enjoy all the comforts of a luxury hotel.
Soft Living Places
The Hotel Byron (5 stars luxury) at Forte dei Marmi belongs to the group Soft Living Places that also owns and runs the Hotel Plaza e de Russie (4 stars superior) at Viareggio and the Green Park Resort (4 stars superior) at Tirrenia (Pisa), three different types of hotel that share the same hospitality philosophy and high standard of service. The name of the group, Soft Living Places, defines hotels where guests can feel surrounded by warm yet discreet attention and pamper themselves with refined comforts.
Hotel Byron, Viale Morin 46, 55042 Forte dei Marmi (Lucca), Tuscany - Italy
Tel. + 39 0584 787052 – Fax + 39 0584 787152
E-mail This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it - www.hotelbyron.net