Oberfläche: Rau, geschliffen, geschliffen mit Fase.
Origin:
Since the Eighth century before Christ, the pitch stone has been used in many different manners, a typical material of our territory. It is a characteristic of this stone to be tender, impregnated by the bitumen of the oil-fields from millions of years.
Its first use was destined for the construction of the ancient sarcophaguses, called in our dialet "tabuti", from which originates the name of Contrada Tabuna, that is the peripheral area of the city where this esteemed material is extracted and where the factory of Italia Lithos is situated.
This stone, according to the quantity of the bitumen impregnated into it, changes in characteristics and in its performance: for this reason it has been represented over the centuries as the first material for making capitals and columns, temples, churches and buildings and statues.
In the past, in the port of Marina di Ragusa, called "Mazzarelli", ships docked to load tons of and tons of Pietra Pece that were shipped across the seas to more distant lands - from England to the United States of America, Argentina, Brazil and Australia.
The activity of extraction of this stone has contributed greatly to the growth of the city and its industries. In the 1858 the "Compagnies Generale des Asphaltes de France" created the first industrial factory, and afterwards the powerful English companies also arrived. The profound change for the history of this quarrying activity was marked, in the 1917, with the birth of the firm ABCD. Under the bituminous rock they also discovered oil, and a part of it feeds the chemical colossus of the firm Polimeri Europa since then.
Today like then, from the port of Pozzallo, or by air freight, loads of this stone depart frequently all the world, where the qualitative characteristics are requested and appreciated. Not only the oil, but also the Pietra Pece, now like in the past, it attracts the attention due to its uniqueness, possibly the most unique in the world.
Appearance:
The color of the Pietra Pece is absolutely unique and distinctive and is not easily definable. This stone has interesting hues, that change gradually from the grey to the dark brown, but the more distinctive characteristic is the presence of fossils and of light colour, they create streakers from the involved effect and in tuning with the rest of the colour.
The Pitchstone is a material that has many symbolic meanings, rouses pleasent tactile feelings, visual and olfactory. Touching the surface of the Pietra Pece awakes a pleasant feeling of warmth and softness, because this stone is naturally hot and velvet. Also its smell transfers images of a rich surrounding of heat, snugness and harmony
The Pietra Pece is ideal for the floors and the inside coverings. This stone is suitable for internal nstaircases, vanity tops for kitchens and bathrooms, and for architectural elements. It gives great fascination to a sober and elegant surrounding.
