# The Palaces of Carrara

The Palaces of Carrara is a board game for 2–4 players. It plays in 60 minutes and is meant for ages 10 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 4. It is rated 6.5 out of 10 by 20 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $68.36 (United States).

- **Players:** 2–4 (best with 4)
- **Playing time:** 60 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 10+
- **Complexity:** 2.6 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2012
- **Categories:** City Building, Economic, Renaissance
- **Mechanics:** Increase Value of Unchosen Resources, Set Collection, Tile Placement
- **Ludoya rating:** 6.5 out of 10, from 20 reviews
- **Owned by:** 13 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 137
- **Unique players:** 120

**Designers:** Michael Kiesling, Wolfgang Kramer

**Artists:** Franz Vohwinkel

**Publishers:** Hans im Glück

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Zatu Games | 43.45 £ | https://zatu.com/products/the-palaces-of-carrara |
| Philibert | 57.95 € | https://philibertnet.com/fr/game-brewer/114056-the-palaces-of-carrara-5407004493749.html |

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## Rules questions

### When I take the “Buy blocks” action, do I have to rotate the wheel first or can I buy from the current sections?

You must rotate the wheel one section clockwise before drawing blocks and then buy from a single section (the wheel is refilled to 11 after rotation) (p.4–5).

### Can I pay for a building with mixed-color blocks, and how does that affect which city I can build in?

Yes — you may use blocks of different colors to pay, but the city you build in must accept the colors you used; cities accept progressively more colors from Livorno (white only) up to Lérici (any) as listed on the player board (p.6–7).

### If I rotate the wheel and can't afford any blocks, do I just pass my turn?

If, after rotating, you cannot buy any blocks (not enough coins or no free blocks), you must raise your screen, take 2 coins from the bank, and your turn ends — you may not buy afterward (p.5).

### How do I calculate coins/VPs and objects when I score a building type?

Choose an unscored building type and score all your buildings of that type: for each building multiply its cost by the value of the city it occupies to get coins or VPs, take one object per scored building, and place your scoring marker on that type (p.8).

### How do I score a city and what are the conditions to do so?

A city can be scored only if it has not yet been scored and you have the required number of buildings there (2 for Livorno/Pisa/Lucca; 3 for Viareggio/Massa/Lérici); add the costs of your buildings in that city, multiply by the city's value for coins/VPs, take one object per building, and place your marker on the city (p.9).

### Can I announce the end of the game if I'm not sure I really have the objectives, and what happens if I'm wrong?

You may announce the end only after completing all three objectives and you immediately gain 5 VPs; if you reveal you have not completed them play continues normally and the game ends only once all three objectives have been met or the last building is built (p.10–11).

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-palaces-of-carrara)
- [The Palaces of Carrara in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/the-palaces-of-carrara)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/129948)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-24. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._