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SLATE -
History
The peculiar characteristics of this stone are to be summarized in the high presence of fillosilicate isoorientated minerals that allows it to be broken in a perfectly straight and perpendicular way. One can in fact find extreemly thin slabs of slate.
This unique characteristic made this material particularily appropriate
for the tiling of roofs, as it is also very reisitant to atmospheric
changes.
It's colouring ranges from a very deep grey almost black to a much lighter grey after a long exposure in the sun. One presumes that slate originated from Wales, Presently it can be found in certain regions of France and Italy (Liguria).
It became very popular in Italy as from VI a.c., with time it's use was not only restricted to being a building material but was also used to produce ornamental windowsills, chimneys places, bookshelves and other forms of interior design accessories.
In Italy the main area of extraction and craftsmanship is to be found
on the Monte Albareto in Fonatanabuona, just behind the the beautiful coastline
close to Portofino. So while we imagine luxurious aperitifs in the sun we
can also imagine that just a
few
kilometers away lies the heart of slate extraction that gives a classy touch
to so many homes.Not only is slate a main element for internal design and
original ornamental objects but the quality of slate from Fontanabuona is
such that it is the unique source for the production of biliard tables World
Wide.
The extraction is very hard, as one must dig deep into the heart of the mauntain to come close to new slate available. Howevere the hard work does not finish here , it must then be transported down the very steep valleys to the laboratories.
New technologies have infact helped in the actual extraction from the mountains, however the way to cut it, in such a decisive manner, depends mostly on the skill of the craftsmen and his knowledge of this unique material.