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ITC displays a showcase of Italian stone at 2010 AIA Convention

The Italian Trade Commission had a presence at the 2010 American Institute of Architects Convention in Miami, FL, last month with a magnificent display of Italian stone from the regions of Liguria, Apulia, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany and Veneto.

MIAMI, FL -- The Italian Trade Commission (ITC), with the collaboration of the Italian regions of Liguria, Apulia, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany and Veneto, recently hosted a dimensional stone exhibition at the 2010 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Convention that was held last month in Miami, FL. The Italian booth displayed over 160 dimensional stone samples -- quarried in the six above-mentioned Italian regions -- as well as an exhibition of designer items carved in stone.

In addition to viewing the broad selection of Italian stone at ITC's booth, architects were also able to obtain Continuing Education Credits by attending the technical seminar offered by the Italian Trade Commission, an AIA/CES provider. The speaker, architect Marcantonio Ragone, a world expert in marble applications in architecture, presented the latest technologies applied to the use of marble from project to construction site, including stainless steel anchors for cladding in different applications and other modern, cost-effective and efficient techniques to obtain the best results in aesthetic and dollar value.

The Italian booth displayed over 160 dimensional stone samples -- quarried in the six above-mentioned Italian regions -- as well as an exhibition of designer items carved in stone.

A library of stone

Italian dimensional stone is known worldwide for its elegance, beauty and importance in architecture. Italian natural stone has been used throughout centuries in buildings, churches and sculptures in Italy and abroad, proving its timelessness and endurance in all architectural works. From the Roman Empire to the Renaissance until today, Italian marble has been a preferred material for construction, mosaics and carving.

This unique stone library at ITC's booth offered architects visiting the trade show floor an opportunity not only to closely view the colors and shades of this selection of Italian natural stone materials, but also to touch and feel the actual texture of each stone.

Tuscany

In addition to the compact and uniform white and yellow/beige marbles from the historic Tuscan quarries, such as Carrara Statuary, Giallo Siena and Giallo Reale, which are used in architectural works all over the world, the marble library also presented a series of more decorative, polychrome Tuscan stones: Rosso Rubino, Arabescato Orobici, Fior di Pesco Carnico and Breccia Medicea, whose name is derived from Cosimo I De Medici. These stones have been used throughout the centuries from Palazzo Pitti, to the Duomo of Florence, to the Medicean Chapels, the Great Hall of the World Financial Center in Manhattan and the Medicean Mausoleum in Palos Verdes, Los Angeles.

Apulia

The region of Apulia, famous for its Trulli, ancient cones structures made of stones held together without mortar, exhibited its world-renowned beige limestones, including Trani Classico, Trani Filetto Rosso and many types of Serpeggiante.

Sicily

Ever since ancient times, Sicily has been considered one of the Italian regions richest in quality marbles. Artists and architects worldwide have used Sicilian stone across centuries in prestigious projects such as the St. Peter Cathedral, Palazzo di Montecitorio, the Munich Cathedral, Hilton Hotels in Seoul and Singapore and the Kennedy Center in New York. The stone samples presented by Sicily at this year's AIA convention included: Perlato di Sicilia, Perlatino di Sicilia, Libeccio and Libeccio Antico, Brecciato and Lava Stone.

In addition to an assortment of tiles, ITC's booth also displayed intricately carved stone sculptures.

Veneto

The Veneto Region has more medieval city walls than any other region in Europe and has thousands of 15th- to 18th-century villas. The Patricians of Venice bought land, invested in huge estates and commissioned famous architects to build magnificent residences using stone excavated from the plentiful local quarries. Rosso Verona, Breccia Pernice, Nembro Rosato, Vicenza Stone -- extensively used by Palladio in the 19th century -- Verdello Veneto, Trachyte Grigia and Pietra Bianca di Lessinia, are among the numerous stones forming the tile and art objects collection presented by this region.

Sardinia

The beautiful Region of Sardinia, famous for its Nuraghi -- Bronze Age habitat constructed with native stones about 3,000 years ago -- is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and a major world exporter of granites. The Sardinian stones, well known for their homogeneity, resistance, aesthetic and technical characteristics, have been used in a myriad of architectural projects around the world, including the base of the Statue of Liberty, the Stock Exchange Building in Milan and the Palatino Bridge in Rome. As part of ITC's exhibition at the AIA Convention, Sardinia presented tiles and decorating objects made of Basalto Sardo, Granito Sardo, Ghiandone and Grigio Perla, Daino Imperiale, Nero Tamara and Trachyte.

Liguria

Although the Liguria Region of Italy is not as storied as the historic stoneworking centers of Verona and Carrara, the area is home to quarries of striking marbles such as Rosso Levanto and Portoro. Rosso Levanto is a red marble found in the Cinque Terre area of Liguria and used since the Etruscan times, the Portoro of Portovenere, from the same area, is a marble of intense and brilliant black color with gold veins, nearly 200 million years old. Both are mainly used in interiors; in Europe they are found in a wide range of architectural and ornamental projects such as churches, buildings, columns, vases, mosaics, floorings and so on. Liguria is also well known for its Slate District of Lavagna, where its famous high-quality slate is quarried for architectural applications as well as billiard tables and blackboards (In fact, Lavagna means "blackboard" in Italian, while the word for slate is Ardesia). Liguria displayed tiles in various finishes of Ardesia, Portoro, Rosso Levanto and Verde Levanto.