Steve Chambers in Verona, Italy: Day Four of "Sustainable Design in Stone"
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“Designing with Natural Stone 2010” classes begin with a Gala Dinner at the Castel San Pietro, an 1177 AD castle, once used as a barracks by French soldiers, is perched atop a steep hill above the Adige River. Verona has so many historic buildings, from Roman to modern times--the entire city is designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. We begin with vino bianco and a variety of fruit, cheeses, and fish-based hors d’oeuvres followed by a short Italian language lesson and introductions where all guests are tutored in the art of meeting one another in Italian. Fortification by vino assists our pronunciation and recall immensely! By the time it is our turn, I think I am introduced as Steve’s wife and Marketing Director, but am not able to confirm this as my memory is now handicapped by copious quantities of Valpolicella. Primo piatti is risotto; secondo is steak and vegetables al dente. Grappa tasting on the balcony closes our gloriously clear, cool evening under a full moon in Verona.
Morning arrives early for the first full day of classes at a Botticino quarry in Brescia, Italy. The day is poetically and justly called in our agenda, “From Earth to the Sky.” A tour of the quarry astonishes the architects as two hydraulic shovels heroically force a sheer wall of water-fractured stone from the edge of the cliffs into a cleared valley below. Gastone, our able bus driver, then transfers us to the gang saw facility where the 4-ton+ blocks are sawn vertically into slabs. Water sprays usher debris and heat away from the diamond blades of the immense saws. The Ghirardi manufacturing family provides us with more Valpolicella, salumi, pane, formaggio, and dolce fortifying us for the processing plant visit where we see the limestone textured and polished. Many sedimentary and metamorphic stone varieties arrive to the Ghirardi factory from Europe, Asia, and South America to be polished and cut-to-size before shipping to their final destinations at construction sites all over the world. Our seminar on “The World of Natural Stone: Geology, Sourcing, Selection, and Working with Suppliers” ends our day of classes. An amazing transfer to the winery originally founded by the Dante Alighieri family is about to begin. The beautiful wines and the process of how they are made is detailed in our next posting!
About Steve Chambers
Steve Chambers AIA, Residential Architects, Dallas TX. Steve is a Residential Architect and a licensed interior designer. He achieves unique styles by enquiring into what his clients think would be their ideal home and building a home that meets their stylistic aspirations while centering the design of their home around their daily habits.
Visit his portfolio or contact Public Relations Director, Stephanie Chambers.
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