MARBLE, THE DIVINE STONE - Its extraction, trade and use since the beginning of the humanity until the present
This study aims to address the importance and the role of the marble in the world, giving an overview on its extraction, trade and use since the beginning of the humanity until the present. Marble has been considered a superior and distinctive raw material and from ancient times its pureness and beauty is much appreciated. From the antiquity marble has been carved by talented and famous artists to decorate buildings of prestigious people and to praise the divine.
As an output of the project Extra-Expo: from EXTRAction to EXPOsition: a journey on how rocks become masterpieces, co-funded by the European Commission, the study was focused on the five European regions involved in the project: Algarve, Portugal; Attika, Greece; Lucca, Italy; Macael, Spain, and Wallonia, Belgium. In all these territories the same topics were discussed: geography, geology, history, culture and heritage and specific aspects and curiosities on the marble in each region were highlighted. In each territory marble has the potential to offer a richer and more diversified touristic offer based on the aspects that the contemporary tourists look for: identity, authenticity and memorable experiences.
As a complement to the existent touristic attractions in these five regions, marble routes may include several scenarios and offer different experiences for different profiles of tourists with distinct tastes and desires: from the usual shops and museums to the most hidden stages, the deep quarries. The possibilities are almost limitless and will depend on the political will as well as on an effective network of local structures and stakeholders, in an intelligent and sustainable management and in a worldwide marketing strategy. This study aims to be a modest contribution to this ambitious objective.
This study was done in the framework of the EXTRA EXPO Project: from EXTRAction to EXPOsition: a journey on how rocks become masterpieces, co-funded by European Commission – Enterprise and Industry Directorate-General; Programme: Cooperation projects to support transnational tourism based in European cultural and industrial heritage.
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
