After the Dimensional Stone Trails tours in Veneto-Apulia and Sardinia-Sicily, another international group, including five US architects, took part in the "Dimensional Stone Trails Tour of Liguria and Tuscany".

The tour started in Carrara (Tuscany) with a workshop on new technologies and modern applications for natural stone, presented by experts from IMM Carrara (www.immcarrara.com), an organization founded in 1978 to be the reference point for the stone industry with business intelligence and stone technology projects consulting. Following the seminar, the delegation visited the world famous Carrara marble quarries, some of the most prestigious stone processing companies in the world and a number of historic sites such as the Duomo and the Malatesta Castle in Rimini.

Later the group went to the medieval town of Pietrasanta, which rose to importance during the 15th century due to its marble connection. In fact, Michelangelo was the first sculptor to recognize the beauty of the local stone. Today, several international artists and personalities own residences in the city including the Colombian painter and sculptor Fernando Botero, the Polish sculptor Igor Mitoraj and the Polish Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica.

While in Pietrasanta, the stone delegation visited the world famous Nicoli Sculpture Studios (www.nicoli-sculptures.com) a center for contemporary sculpture, established in 1863. The Nicoli Studios with its beautiful art collection was recognized in 2000 by UNESCO as a historical place herald of a culture of peace. Nicoli Studios has been "witness to different sculpture trends and the great desire for carving and beauty," said Maria Grazia Passani, President of the UNESCO Club in Carrara, Italy.

Moving to Liguria, the delegation visited a temporary marble and stone showroom set-up in the magnificent Palazzo Ducale or Palace of the Doges of Genoa, one of the most important historical buildings in the city. Built between 1251 and 1275, during the flourishing period of the Republican history of Genoa, its "Torre Grimaldina" also called Tower of the People, was completed in 1539. The Palace of the Doges was restored in 1992, in occasion of the celebrations of Christopher Columbus, a Genoa native, and the 500th anniversary of his discovery of America.

The group proceeded to Cicagna, located in the Fonatnabuona Valley, one of the most industrious areas of Liguria. A visit to the local slate quarries and fabricators and a look at the surrounding areas, illustrated to participants tangible, multiple uses of slate from the "abbadini", the sheets that form the typical Ligurian roofs, to outdoor flooring, billiard table tops, etc.

The last night of the tour was celebrated with a wonderful dinner at the UNESCO World Heritage Village of Portovenere in the Gulf of Poets, south east of the Cinque Terre. A picturesque church dedicated to St. Peter sits on the town’s promontory, occupying a site that is believed to have been a temple to Venus, Venere in Italian, from which Portovenere gets its name.

Participants thought this tour was a very valuable experience. Architect Bernard Kummer, AIA SIA, (www.smithgroup.com) of Smithgroup Incorporated in Los Angeles, talking about the learning significance of the tour said: "The trip was very helpful for future projects, because I was able to see the full scope of what can be done with marble. Traditional marble colors are very often associated with classic architecture. I was able to realize how to use the marble in contemporary buildings. There is new methods of assembly, like lighter paneling, and translucent panels with natural or artificial light behind, which can be easily considered for today architecture. In addition, seeing and learning how the process is done from the quarry, to cutting, and finishing makes the architect better understand and appreciate the material. We were also able to see some exceptional stones. When they rarely surface in the quarry, the architect better travels right away to select them. The tour included a visit to an Italian slate processing center. Being raised in a mountain region where slates are used for floor and roof, I did appreciate the high quality of the local slate. The entire trip was very well managed. Visiting small towns, and Genoa (Genova in Italian), gave me a great historic view of stone applications and design, which could be resurrected in today architecture."