BASIC INFORMATION
LOCATION
municipality: Longarone (BL)
address: Via Roma 16, Castellavazzo
geographic coordinates: 46.283821, 12.306866
ACCESSIBILITY
- wheelchair accessibility: accessible
- recommended season: all year
- directions to reach the starting point: the Museum is located at the entrance to the town
INFORMATION:
opening hours: Saturday and Sunday, 2.00-6.00 p.m
telephone: 347 9647588
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
DESCRIPTION
The exposition features the geological history of the Province of Belluno, expounding on the various types of stones that used to be excavated in the past, together with their respective quarries. This is followed by a presentation of records that document the use of the stone for the production of various artefacts. Such products were, in fact dedicated for use in daily life at home, as demarcation boulders and memorials in public, in the sphere of art, as well as ornaments for civic and religious buildings.
The focal point around which all the other exposition elements are gathered together is man and his relationship with the environment. One can also learn about the excavation techniques of stone and its processing. Special attention is given to the appreciation of the know-how, skill, as well as the historic and social aspects that constituted an integral part of the life and work of the miners and stonecutters. At the end of the exposition one can visit the artisans' shop - a workshop where chisels and mallets are still put to use as a testimony that the art of the stonemasonry is still alive in Castellavazzo.
The skill and expertise of the local stonemasons were renowned even beyond the boundaries of the province - workers from Castellavazzo are known to have been employed in Venice, Castelfranco Veneto and some other places during the nineteenth century. From lithographic point of view, Castellavazzo Stone is an either grey or red limestone and is commercially categorised as marble because of its shiny surface.
USEFUL INFORMATION
The first record of stone quarrying in the quarries of Castellavazzo dates back to the fifteenth century. The boom of this industry reached its peak between the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries, however.
LINKS TO WEBSITES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
A. Alpago Novello (edited by), Castellavazzo: un paese di pietra, la pietra di un paese, Neri Pozza, Vicenza 1997
AUTHOR: Letizia Lonzi, 30/04/2020