Nature is the art of God. Dante Alighieri

We spend six hours today in classes on the newest developments in stone engineering, restoration, and ‘green’ building. A quick tour of Marmomacc/VeronaFiere whets our appetites for how the Italians can design a show of this proportion. The Etruscan sense of beauty, order, proportion, scale, color, and relationship with nature is still in their DNA. It’s now time to board our bus for the sojourn to Sega di Cavaion, Italy, where the Antolini stone galleries and factory are located. As the bus turns into the gates, we are astonished at the breadth and beauty of the collection and the magnitude of the processing equipment. Stone is shipped in blocks to this plant from Asia, Europe, Africa, and South America to be cut, finished, and shaped.

The variety of natural stone, granite, and marble in colors and finishes mesmerizes. We are split in small groups and our tours are conducted by the owners. As we move through the galleries, each one is more impressive than the previous. We’ve been to most of the stone showrooms in Dallas, but this is beyond anything we can imagine. Besides the natural stone ranging from creams, brilliant reds, blues, greens, purples, and yellows, we see manufactured slabs inlaid with opals, lapis, amethyst, chrysocolla, and many other precious stones and metals, including gold and silver.

The processing equipment with its signature Italian detailing looks as though architects had designed and placed it. The order of the plant has the appearance of a Roman landscape. In addition, we are impressed to discover that there is little or no waste at the facility-the small slabs are cut into tiles; chips and dust are used in making ‘manufactured’ stone.

Immediately after the tour, we see rooms designed by architects and interior designers where the stone has been applied to floors, furniture, pools, walls surfaces, and light fixtures in full-scale settings. The evening ends in the Stone Garden with a sumptuous buffet, fine wines, and the engaging company of the Antolini family. We feel as though we are guests in their home. From the level of the chatter on the bus as we return to Verona, Steve and I agree that the group’s appreciation for the possibilities for designing with stone has been immensely expanded by the experiences of the entire day.