Pietra serena

Pietra serena is a gray sandstone used extensively in Renaissance Florence for architectural details.[1] It is also known as Macigno stone.[2] The material obtained at Fiesole is considered the best and it is also quarried at Arezzo, Cortona, and Volterra.[2]

Pietra serena boulders quarried in cava Nardini, Vellano, Tuscany

Examples of its use in Florence include the interior pilasters, entablatures, and other decorative elements of Brunelleschi's Pazzi Chapel and Michelangelo's Medici Chapel.

History

Although both pietra serena and its cousin pietraforte were favoured in the use of both aesthetic and civil construction in Rennaissance Italy,[3] pietra serena was considered to be more workable and thus more usable as a sandstone. Although pietraforte was favoured as a building material within Florence, pietra serena was principally used in the construction of columns, road pavings, design features within households and the aesthetic aspects of buildings.[3]

Physical traits

Pietra serena comes out of the ground as a blue-gray color. Due to a chemical reaction in the stone, it turns into red. This is due to oxidization in the clay matrix of the stone. Pietra serena has a very limited durability. This has led to problems with conservation efforts. This durability is also the reason why it is very workable.[4]

Pazzi Chapel in Florence

Quarries

Pietra serena was very popular in Italian Renaissance architecture, and because of this the quarries where the stone was found were exploited. Depending on the quarry, the grain size of the stone varies. Trassinaia was the main quarry used in the construction of Brunelleschi's Pazzi Chapel.[5]

In 2002, Apple Inc. started using pietra serena from the Casone quarry for wide use in the flooring of its Apple Stores after co-founder Steve Jobs had earlier admired the sidewalks on a trip to Florence.[6]

References
  1. Fratini, F.; Pecchioni, E.; Cantisani, E.; Rescic, S.; Vettori, S. (2015). "Pietra Serena: the stone of the Renaissance". Global Heritage Stone: Towards International Recognition of Building and Ornamental Stones. Geological Society of London. p. 173. doi:10.1144/SP407.11.
  2. "S". SIRENA STONE. The Dictionary of Architecture. Vol. 7. Architectural Publication Society. 1887. p. 83.
  3. Fratini, Pecchioni, Cantisani, Rescic & Vettori, F, E, E, S & S (2015). "Pietra Serena: the stone of the Renaissance". Geological Society Special Publication. 407: 173–186 – via Lyell Collection.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. Pecchioni, Elena; Vettori, Silvia; Cantisani, Emma; Fratini, Fabio; Ricci, Marilena; Garzonio, Carlo Alberto (1 May 2016). "Chemical and mineralogical studies of the red chromatic alteration of Florentine Pietra Serena sandstone". European Journal of Mineralogy. 28 (2): 449–458. doi:10.1127/ejm/2015/0027-2504.
  5. Coli, Massimo; Tanini, Chiara; Haines, Margret; Pandeli, Enrico; Pini, Gabriele; Bencini, Federica (29 May 2008). "The "Pietra Serena" stones of Brunelleschi's Cupola". Journal of Cultural Heritage. 9 (2): 214-221. doi:10.1016/j.culher.2008.01.002.
  6. Isaacson, Walter (2011). Steve Jobs. Simon & Schuster. p. 375. ISBN 978-1-4516-4853-9.

Further reading
  • Haines, Margaret (5 February 2014). "MYTH AND MANAGEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF BRUNELLESCHI'S CUPOLA". Chicago Journal. 14–15: 47–101. JSTOR 41781523.


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