Tuscan Stone Bore
19th October 2015
In 2013 when we started our blog my colleague Ruth discussed how we are all converted stone bores. We can’t help but notice natural stone and tiles everywhere we go and my trip to Tuscany was no different.
For those of you that have read my Tuscany blog you will know that I had a wonderful time and didn’t spend all my time looking at tiles….but sometimes it just can’t be helped!
From the moment we touched down in Pisa and waited for our bags from the carousel the adverts for Italian marble were on full view.
Our trip to Florence including climbing the 453 steps to the top of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, a building which was begun in 1296 and completed in 1436. The dome floor was laid in Bianco Marble laid centuries ago.
The view from the top of the dome was incredible with lots of red roofs, you can certainly see where our Firenze quarry tiles get their name from.
The exterior walls are faced in alternative vertical and horizontal polychrome marble from Carrara, Prato, Siena and Lavenza to complete a stunning piece of architecture.
I thought the cathedral in Siena was even more unique. A medievel church designed and completed between 1215 and 1263. The exterior and interior are constructed of white and greenish-black marble in alternating stripes, with the addition of red marble on the façade. Black and white are the symbolic colours of Siena.
The detailed patterns on the inside and outside of the church are also worth a mention, the use of marble to create such an elaborate design that has been there for centuries.
The detail and colours of the library roof inside the cathedral, whilst not stone related was also beautiful!
I think that’s quite enough but marble and travertine was on show in most cathedrals, churches and museums we visited throughout Tuscany. It just shows the nature of natural stone products that they were chosen for use centuries ago because of their durability and they are withstanding the tests of time.
