Ponti di Vara bridges and tunnel, Carrara, Tuscany

The Vara bridges and tunnels are the remains of the old Marble Railway that transported marble from the Carrara quarries.

Ponti Di Vara bridge and tunnel, Carrara, Tuscany — **The tallest of the two 19 C Ponti di Vara bridges leading to the entrance of the Vara tunnel, at Carrara**

The Ponti di Vara (Vara bridges) are the remains of the old Ferrovia Marmifera (Marble Railway), a spectacular feat of engineering that transported marble from the Carrara quarries to the marble sawmills in the plain below and to the port docks.

The Pisa-Genoa railway line, with the Avenza station, opened in 1862, but was located almost 5 km away from the town centre. This issue was dealt with a few years later with the opening of the branch line to the Carrara-San Martino station (1866, now closed). This subsidiary track paved the way for the construction of a railway that hugely ameliorated the transport of marble blocks to the mills, which until then had been handled by ox-drawn carts.

Work began in 1871 and five years later the first section was opened, connecting the loading docks at Marina di Carrara to the extraction basins. In 1887, work began to extend the line, aiming to reach the highest sites, where the major quarrying centres were located. When completed in 1890, the Ferrovia Marmifera stretched for more than 22 km, reaching the altitude of 455 m above sea level (near Ravaccione).

The infrastructure still visible today includes the long tunnels (the Tarnone tunnel is 1,274 m long) and the towering viaducts of which the Vara bridges, the large viaducts that span the Miseglia basin, connecting the Vara tunnel to the Monte Croce tunnel, are most famous.

Three bridges are visible. one, along the Miseglia Fantiscritti road, is a modern construction (1964), dating back to the period when the route was converted to road transport. Of the two 19 C viaducts, the smaller one, known as the Canalpiccino, leads to the Torano basin and is supported by three tall arches, while the larger one, with its five arches reaching 38 m (at its highest point), is the most famous one.

The opening of the Ferrovia Marmifera threatened the livelihoods of the oxen herders, the historic suppliers of the oxen used to transport the marble. In 1899, less than ten years after construction was completed, a group of oxen herders attempted to sabotage the railway by blowing up the central pylon of the largest of the Vara Bridges using a 10 kg mine. The explosion failed to collapse the viaduct, which was only partially damaged. The three reinforcing arches, consequently built to further strengthen the damaged pillars, are still clearly visible. The Ferrovia Marmifera was dismantled in 1964 and replaced by road transport. Some of its facilities were abandoned, others, including the Vara Bridges, were converted to road traffic and remain fully integrated into the mountain road network.