Genesis

It’s Monday, so Italy is closed. We spot the famous marble quarries of Carrara on the Google Maps satellite view, a few hours drive to the north west. The landscape is spectacular. Quarries on an epic scale. Whole mountains chiselled into orthogonal profiles.

We opt for a tour of the only underground mine at Carrara. We drive 800 metres into the mountain where the tunnel opens into a vast negative space. There is a loud booming a men manoeuvre a very large marble block with an excavator. It must weigh over 100 tonnes. Much too heavy to lift but the shuffle it around on the floor.

Our guide explains the working on the mine. Every block mined is done so on commission from an artist or architect. The price of a tonne of marble varies from 70 Euros, to 7000 Euros, depending on quality.