commercial categories ARABESCATO The name of this family comes from the geometric patterns typical of Islamic art and refers to marble varieties with a white or grey (or other colour) groundmass and an irregular pattern of darker-coloured veins that generally follows a preferential direction. Traditionally this variety is mainly cut against the grain (the hard way), or perpendicular to the grain (the easy way), so as to highlight the material’s decorative qualities. It is quarried above all in Versilia, but is also found in Garfagnana and Massa, and to a lesser extent in Carrara too. In Carrara another type of marble can also be found that is related to the Arabescato family but has its own peculiar characteristics: Brouillé. This is quarried mainly in the Colonnata basin and has a series of very close-knit grey veins that isolate lighter elements that are generally oriented. BARDIGLIO The name of this family comes from the diminutive of the Spanish word “pardo”, that is the colour dark grey, that also refers to a cloudy sky. The Bardiglio family is one of the most typical of the Apuan Alps and is characterised by a very compact structure with the characteristic fairly even dark grey colour of the groundmass. dark grey vein patterns may be present or in the Nuvolato variety typical of Carrara irregular but oriented whitish-coloured shades. The Imperial variety typical of Garfagnana has an even grey-blue groundmass with no marked veins. Traditionally this variety is mainly cut according against the grain (the hard way), or perpendicular to the grain (the easy way). Bardiglio varieties are found to a varying extent in all the quarry sites throughout the Apuan Alps. WHITE Among the white varieties, Carrara White is the marble par excellence. It has a homogeneous groundmass that ranges from white to a greyish colour with shaded grey veins in an irregular pattern that is often scarce. The three main varieties of Carrara White are classed according to the colour of the groundmass and are known as C, C/D and D. The C variety has a very light groundmass with an even vein pattern that is not very marked. C/D varieties have a regular groundmass but not as white as the C variety whereas the D variety also has a regular pattern but a darker, white-greyish groundmass. Traditionally Carrara White is cut against the grain (the hard way) or less frequently to the grain (the easy way). Carrara White is quarried in all the Carrara basins except Pescina-Boccanaglia. In the other Apuan quarry sites, white marble with similar characteristics to Carrara White tends to be called after the place where it is quarried. One particular variety is Bianco P quarried in the Massa basin. This is a very sought-after material due to its compactness and homogeneous, completely white colour. BRECCIA Breccias, in the case of natural stone, are rocks composed of sharp-edged fragments held together by a cement of a different origin. This geological category may include materials such as Arabescato and Calacata that have been placed in specific families. Apuan breccias (Capraia, Stazzema and Fior di Pesco) are very sought-after materials. Their groundmass is generally darker than the fragments and it forms a kind of vein pattern that stands out that is often multi-coloured. CALACATA This variety that is typical of Carrara (the Pescina-Boccanaglia and Torano basins), but is also found in other Apuan sites, has a white-ivory white saccharoid groundmass with soft, shaded grey, light green to light yellow veins. These veins sometimes form undulating bands that are more or less regular. calacata is considered a highly precious materials. Traditionally blocks of Calacata are cut against the grain (the hard way). CREMO This is a very rare family. The Cremo Delicato variety is characterised by a white-beige groundmass with slender grey-yellowish-coloured veins. It is quarried in the Carrara basins of Torano and Miseglia. Traditionally the material is cut against the grain (the hard way). The Cremo Tirreno variety is an ivory white schist marble with green veins that is quarried in Versilia. STATUARIO Statuario marble together with Calacata is among the most renowned of the entire Apuane region. Production is concentrated in the Carrara basins of Torano and Miseglia. The material has a pure white groundmass, verging on ivory, that normally has no veins or some very shaded ones. Where the vein pattern is more frequent and evident the material is called Statuario Venato. Traditionally the material is cut against the grain (the hard way). VENATO Veined marble varieties are characterised by a groundmass varying in colour from white to grey with a clear evident pattern that is often oriented. Like Carrara white this variety can be classed either as C, C/D or D. Some types come from the Carrara area, mainly from Gioia basin while other varieties are quarried in the areas of Massa, Fivizzano and Minucciano. Traditionally Venato materials are cut against the grain (the hard way) or perpendicular to the grain (the easy way) depending on the desired decorative effect. COLOURED This family includes all the varieties that do not come under the other categories. Although the Carrara marble varieties or more in general the Apuan marble varieties can be identified with the white or at the most veined-white varieties, coloured materials can also be found that are often precious too.
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