Province of Massa and Carrara

Province of Massa and Carrara
—  Province  —
Map highlighting the location of the province of Massa and Carrara in Italy
Country	Italy
Region	Toscana
Capital(s)	Massa
Comuni	17
Government
• President	Osvaldo Angeli
Area
• Total	1,157 km2 (446.7 sq mi)
Population (2005)
• Total	200,695
• Density	173.5/km2 (449.3/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	54100
Telephone prefix	0585
Vehicle registration	MS
ISTAT	045

The Province of Massa and Carrara (Italian: Provincia di Massa e Carrara), until 2009 Province of Massa-Carrara, is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is named after the two main towns in its territory: Carrara and Massa, its capital.

History

The province of "Massa e Carrara" was born in 1859 from the separation of the Lunigiana and the Garfagnana from the Ducato of Modena. In origin it was composed of three “ Circondari”: I° “Circondario of Massa and Carrara” (compound from 7 Districts articulated in 14 Municipalities), II° “Circondario” of Castelnuovo Garfagnana (compound from 4 Districts articulated in 17 Municipalities), III° “Circondario” of Pontremoli (compound from 3 Districts articulated in 6 Municipalities). The province till the census of 1871 appears comprised in region “Emilia”, but with the census of the population of 1881 in Tuscany. Later on, with “Regio Decreto n.1913 of the sept. 2, year 1923, the municipalities of “Calice al Cornoviglio” and “Rocchetta Vara” were detached from the province, in order to make them to enter in the new province of La Spezia. In same period (R.D n.2490 of November 9 year 1923) the 17 Municipalities of the “Circondario” Castelnuovo Garfagnana were removed them also all that were assigned to the province of Lucca in order to compensate it of the passage to the new province of Pistoia of all the municipalities of the Val di Nievole. The province of Massa and Carrara remained thus cripple waiting for a its reorganization. In the 1938 the Municipalities of Carrara, Massa and Montignoso, came fused nell' only municipality of Apuania. In that same year the industrial zone Apuana was instituted (including in relative Consortium C.Z.I.A also the Municipalities of the Versilia neighbor) and the province assumed the name of province of Apuania. In the 1946 with decree Liutenant one (Umberto II of Savoia) the new Municipality of Apuania was melted and the province (for error and/or historical ignorance) resumptions the denomination does not date from 1859 when it was "Massa and Carrara" but Massa (name with which it came designated to the city of Massa or Massa of Carrara from 1700 until Kingdom of Italy (1860), denomination that, in order to distinguish it from the other homonymous cities, the chief town continued till the institution of the unified Municipality of Apuania) and with same the decree liutenant were placed to Massa.

In 2009 both decrees of 1938 and 1946 were abolished, restoring the old name.

Geography and administration

The province covers has an area of 1,157 km², and a total population of 200,695 (2005). There are 17 comuni (singular: comune) in the province. As of June 30, 2005, the main comuni by population are:

Comune	Population
Massa	69,097
Carrara	65,221
Aulla	10,529
Montignoso	10,154
Fivizzano	8,947
Pontremoli	8,112
Licciana Nardi	4,892
Villafranca in Lunigiana	4,663
Fosdinovo	4,642
Mulazzo	2,593
Filattiera	2,411
Tresana	2,052
Podenzana	1,996
Bagnone	1,975
Zeri	1,296
Casola in Lunigiana	1,193
Comano	773

Economy

The province's economical relevance, once mainly based on the production of the famous white Carrara marble, has now shifted to the importation and fabrication of blocks of marble and granite from all over the world.

See also

• Carrara
• Duchy of Massa and Carrara
• Lunigiana
• Marble
• Massa

External links

• (Italian) Province homepage

Media related to Province of Massa and Carrara at Wikimedia Commons