HISTORICAL CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS AT FIRENZE (ITALY): A SELECTED SUPPLY AT KM 0

Firenze is a “stone city” (Guido Piovene), at Florence streets, palaces, monuments all are made by stone. The stones of Florence are historical stones supply at km 0 from the neighbour of the city. Basic construction material were cobbles come from the Arno riverbed such as sand for mortar made with slake-lime coming from two sites close upstream the Arno River: Le Falle and Pontassieve. Construction and ornamental stones are Pietraforte, which was exploited in the hills right south the Arno River, and Pietra Serena, quarried in the Fiesole hills bounding at north the Florence plain. Others ornamental stones were the Verde Prato, from the Monteferrato about 20 km west of Florence, and the Rosso Cintoia, sporadically quarried in the Chianti, south of Florence. On more, the white Carrara Marble that was supplied from the Apuan Alps and largely used for the revetment of the main churches of Florence and outstanding masterpieces as for the David by Michelangelo. This analysis outlines a selected and proper use at the best of the natural stone resources of the Florence territory for construction purposes and depicts a culture that well known the stone of the country and their better way to use.