Itinerary edited by SAPIENZA UNIVERSITY OF ROME 
The itinerary proposed by the Museum of Mining and Mineral Deposits of La Sapienza Museum Department focuses on the transformation of the natural and anthropic landscape caused by mining activities, while also taking into consideration the temporal evolution of sites chosen for the creation of the route itself. The itinerary is based on mining activities of ornamental stones in the Museum collection, with particular reference to those from the Lazio region, in line with themes proposed by La Sapienza Museum Department.
Extraction
The location of main extraction sites in Lazio: geographic and geologic overview
Out of 5592 quarries in Italy from which 687674 cubic metres of ornamental rock is extracted every year, one out of seven is located in Lazio, for a total of 763 quarries, of which 288 are active and 475 dismissed or abandoned (source: 2014 Quarry Report- Legambiente). With reference to extraction activities in general, therefore not only ornamental stone quarries, Lazio Regional Plan of Extraction Activities, drafted by La Sapienza University of Rome, C.E.R.I. Research Centre in 2009, identified 393 currently active quarries, 475 non active quarries and 8 mines.
The plan has identified 11 regional extraction centres, i.e. areas that, according to their unique lithologic characteristics and the entity of linked economies, have been identified as being more relevant than average. The sites are distributed as follows - in the Viterbo province: Bagnoregio Bolsena (aggregates for construction, materials for industry) and Vitorchiano (marbles, masonry stone, materials of industrial use); in the Frosinone province: Coreno Ausonio (marbles, masonry stone); in the province of Latina: Priverno (materials for construction and industrial use) and together with the Rome province: Cori-Segni-Artena (materials for construction and industrial use); those of the Rome province, including Riano (marble, masonry stone, material for industrial use), Guidonia Montecelio 1 (aggregates for construction and materials for industry) Guidonia Montecelio 2 (marbles, masonry stone), Montecompatri (materials for construction and industrial use), Roma Laurentino (materials for construction and industrial use), Roma Magliana (materials for construction and industrial use).
MAPS:
1 (to the left) - Distribution of extraction activity in the regional territory. Perimeters from aerial photo
Source: Lazio Regional Plan of Extraction Activities - Sapienza University of Rome, C.E.R.I. Research Centre
2 (a dx) - Distribution of regional extraction centres
Source: Lazio Regional Plan of Extraction Activities - Sapienza University of Rome, C.E.R.I. Research Centre
In particular, in the Municipality of Rome, there are 32 active quarries, almost all are concentrated in the hills located between the capital and the Municipality of Fiumicino or between Guidonia and Tivoli. In particular, Travertine marble deposits are located in Orte, Bassanello, Civita Castellana, Viterbo, Pozzo della Sorgente, Tarquinia, Fiano Romano, Leprignano, Monte Rotondo, Bagno di Traiano, Pian Sultano, Palidoro, Castel di Guido, Tivoli, Monterotondo, Cisterna and Anagni.
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| Basaltine | Peperino Rosso | Perlato di Coreno | Travertine |
From quarry to city: Transport
The landscape and connecting roads
Over time several means of transport have been used to transfer material extracted from quarries to processing sites. For example, in 1800, ox or horse-drawn carriages were used, followed by vapour-powered carriages, replaced by trucks after the Second World War.
Here above, the transport of blocks using carts (Source: external link) and the image of a Carels Locomotive: three of such machines served the Portonaccio-Marino line from Rome-Tivoli. (Source: external link)
"Lizzatura" (stone transport, here to the left), was a traditional technique used by quarrymen to transport marble blocks to the valley by sliding them on wooden sleds with the use of ropes (Source: external link) whereas today blocks are moved using special diggers, forklifts and transported using trucks. (Photo by Raimondo Luciani for www.tivolitouring.com)
From quarry to city: Site reclamation
The landscape and site reclamation of dismissed quarries
There are 1687 municipalities in Italy with at least one dismissed quarry, 1152 of which (59 in Rome) contain at least 2 abandoned sites: 14.3% of all Italian municipalities (source: 2014 Quarry Report - Legambiente).
The reclamation of dismissed areas for recreational, tourist or naturalistic use is becoming a common reconversion strategy in many areas, and is implemented directly by quarrying companies or the government in dismissed or abandoned areas.
It is possible to fill the excavated area with soil to enable the planting of native tree species, cover it with agricultural humus, transform it into a natural oasis with characteristics similar to those of the surrounding landscapes, or even use it to produce electric energy through the installation of a photovoltaic plant.
To the right, top - An area of a decommissioned quarry requiring reclamation works (Source: "Study for the reclamation and reconversion of Travertine quarries" by V. Bretti, A. Panci, P. Poncia, 2006)
To the right, bottom - Reclamation project of the Musital quarry (Rekingen, Switzerland) (Source: "The extraction landscape: from wound in the territory to place of opportunity", by Federica Greco, from the Convention: "Extraction activity: between economic development and territorial protection", Lecce, 30th April 2013)
From quarry to city: End Use of Ornamental Stones
The Landscape and Use of Stone
Of all the ornamental stones characterizing the Lazio territory, Travertine marble is undoubtedly the most important one. It is renowned all over the world and used in construction, decoration, interior design, sculpture, and it is indissolubly linked to the history of Imperial Rome, its ancient buildings, for example the Colosseum, as well as the Christian Rome, for example the Bernini column in St. Peter's Square. Travertine marble has also been extensively used in more recent times. During the period between the two world wars, this stone characterised many rationalist buildings, including railway stations, post offices and other public buildings. Rome, in particular, contains numerous buildings made from this stone, for example the Termini railways station, the post office in Piazza Bologna, palazzo della Civiltą del Lavoro at EUR.
1.(left) Cloister of Palazzo Caetani, Cisterna di Latina. (Source: http://www.meravigliaitaliana.it/); 2.(right) Faculty of Engineering, Polo Pontino, La Sapienza, Latina campus. (Source: http://www.inliberuscita.it/)
Detailed study
Ornamental rock extraction: an anthropic activity with a strong environmental impact
The main phases of the industrial chain (extraction, processing, production) have a significant impact on different environments, both in an ecological and geological perspective, regarding the exploitation of the environment by man (landscape, noise and vibrations, groundwater, etc.) These effects range from the structural instability to the hydrological imbalance and the ground erosion. They also produce a socio-economic impact, strongly conditioning the way of life in the territory and its local communities. To perform a full evaluation of the environmental impact of these activities an important step is to assess the materials exploitation and processing even beforehand.
