Alabaster volterra

The “museum of commercial archaeology”, housed in the Minucci medieval house-tower documents the alabaster craft from the Etruscan . A few workshops but of high quality. Even today you can still find some characteristics of the old workshops: . Gifts and objects in alabaster. Chessboards, lamps, boxes, sculptures, clocks, vases and all kinds of articles in alabaster.

In Europe, the centre of the alabaster trade today is Florence, Italy.

Tuscan alabaster occurs in nodular masses embedded in limestone, interstratified with marls of Miocene and Pliocene age.

The mineral is worked largely by means of underground galleries, in the district of Volterra. Arte: alabaster artisan in Volterra. The magical local stone, a part of our history. Today as yesterday the process of working alabaster has not changed. Even in quite large blocks, it is translucent.

The art of carving alabaster began during the Etruscan Era. The extraordinary skill and creativity of this mysterious civilisation has been handed down through the centuries. Certainly the working of the alabaster is one of the most ancient artisan techniques existing now. The main purpose of the foundation of the Cooperative society was to permit the alabaster artisans, blackmailed by . It is an ancient village which has always been.

Its narrow streets,looming towers,and majestic palaces and fortifications are made of stone. A yellow-grey stone, a sandstone effused with fossils of rare beauty. The alabaster is mined near Volterra. Shops filled with beautiful objects made of alabaster.

In the “Song of Songs” – ascribed to the poet-king Solomon – the woman describes the legs of his beloved as pillars of alabaster , resting on golden pedestals. In Canto XV of his “Paradise”, Dante says the . Paolo Sabatini was born and grew up in Volterra. Today he has an established reputation as an unprecedented . Alabaster , the magic of the ancient stone. Volterra will find many workshops where alabaster is edited.

Itinerary to the discovery of stone Volterra. On request, “merenda” (light dinner) of the alabaster workers .