CARRARA, a town of Italy, in the province of Massa-Carrara, about 62 miles north-west of Florence, is situated not far from the coast of the Mediterranean, in a deep valley watered by the Avenza. The principal buildiugs are the collegiate church of St Andrea, the Madonna delle Grazie, and the ex-ducal palace. The town owes its whole importance, as well as its very name, to the quarries in the neighbouring mountains, which from a very early period have been one of the principal sources of statuary marble in the world. They are for the most part situated close to the village of Torano, about a mile distant from the town. Of the 450 quarries at present in full working order, the best are those known as Canal Grande, Poggio, Donzio, and Palvaccio. The excavation gives employment to about 6000 men; and nearly 4000 are engaged in the cutting and polishing shops, which number about 115. In 1873 the total value of the marble extracted was £360,000. Carrara is built not far from the site of the ancient Luna, an Etrurian city of considerable importance; and the marble was known to the Romans as Marmor Lunense. Napoleon I. founded in the town an academy of fine arts, which still exists and possesses a large collection of statues. The only native sculptors of note are Alberti Maffeoli in the 15th century and Danese Cattaneoin the 16th. The population of the town proper is about 8000, but the commune contains 23,827.