In Delianuova, “green stone” (pietra verde) constitutes a geological heritage that has shaped local architecture and art over the centuries. This guide will lead you through its geological properties, its historical and contemporary uses, and the deep-felt bond with the community, which still preserves its craftsmanship today.

Geomorphological Background

Green stone—scientifically known as serpentine—represented a distinctive resource for the Delianuova territory. It was extracted from an open-cast quarry located south of the town center in the “Cotripa” district.

Currently, the quarry is abandoned and overgrown with vegetation and inert material, which likely accumulated during the construction of the Delianuova–Carmelia provincial road. The site was closed in 1933 by the Ministry of Environmental Heritage, which banned extraction and declared the area geologically unstable. Although underground extraction via tunnels was permitted, it was never attempted due to being highly expensive and difficult.

In nature, three types of green stone exist:

• Reddish: featuring traces of iron mixed with mica and copper;
• Solid Green: where copper is abundant, accompanied by extremely fine grains of mica;
• Brilliant Green: where the presence of mica is predominant.

Its chemical composition is highly stable: it is weatherproof, poorly permeable to water, compact, and resilient. Due to these characteristics, which are similar to those of marble, it was extensively worked during the 18th and 19th centuries as a material to adorn palaces, fountains, brackets, interior and exterior staircases, and funerary monuments.

From a geological perspective, according to the book Mineralogia by Guido Carabbi: “Green stone is a variety of actinolite schist with a fibrous structure. Petrographically, it is defined as green stone or serpentine after the name of its constituent mineral: a basic magnesium silicate formed as a transformation product of olivine, which serves as the fundamental component of serpentine, one of the green rocks.”

These rocks, rare in nature especially when of high quality, are mostly found in Europe along the Alpine chain or within the Ligurian and Calabrian Apennines. They were long favored for the manufacturing of lithic tools due to how easily they could be rough-hewn and polished, combined with a particular resistance to percussive impacts.

The “green” coloration is caused by specific minerals that impart this unique hue, making the stone highly aesthetically pleasing. Thanks to its distinctive toughness and durability, it serves as a valuable ornamental stone as well as an ideal material for civil and infrastructural engineering.

The ophiolitic deposits of Calabria are utilized in two specific types of craftsmanship, depending on their varying properties:

• The first type exploits the friability of certain rocks to obtain a product used primarily as an aggregate for concrete production, general construction, or the building of dry-stone walls (as seen in the Reventino area of Calabria).
• The second type involves the production of large blocks of compact stone used for specialized craftsmanship, such as decorative elements, frames, stone art, and jewelry.
  
  

Notes on Analyses Performed on the Deliese Green Stone

Occupational exposure assessments have shown that the concentration of tremolite fibers is below the limits established by current regulations. Nevertheless, it remains necessary to adopt the mandatory safety guidelines for workers potentially exposed to asbestos risks.

Radiometric checks on green stone samples were carried out in 2007 by the Provincial Department of the Regional Environmental Protection Agency of Calabria (A.R.P.A.CAL.), at the request of the R. Corigliano Administration of the Municipality of Delianuova. The analysis results, issued on March 12, 2007, and signed by the laboratory director, Eng. Domenico Colicchia, stated: “The rock sample subjected to radiometric testing reveals the normal presence of radioactive elements belonging predominantly to the Uranium-238 and Thorium-232 families.”

Historical Background on the Use of Deliese Green Stone

The earliest architectural use of green stone is traced back to around 1600 by the Basilian monks (the ruins of their convent are still visible in the “S. Marina” district of Delianuova). Subsequently, the master stonemasons of the era—highly skilled in stone working—began receiving commissions for green stone elements to embellish the homes of wealthy families, likely due to the ease of sourcing the raw material from the nearby quarry.

Meticulous and painstaking research indicates that stonemasons of Sicilian school arrived in the municipality of Delianuova during the second half of the 18th century. The family that undoubtedly left the most significant mark on the art of stone carving—so much so that they earned the nickname “Petrari” (The Stone Men)—was the Marsico family. The forefather, Vincenzo Marsico, arrived from Messina and settled in Delianuova in 1790 to perform the specialized work of carving millstones for olive oil pressing.

A city council resolution following the 1811 assignment of one-third of the local mountains to the municipality of Paracorio by Commissioner Masci notes the integration of Deliese green stone into civic use rights. The resolution records “the right of the inhabitants” to “gather acorns [and] use the green stone, which serves for distinguished palaces and staircases, making it valuable for commerce […]“.

Few municipalities in Italy can boast the presence of green stone artifacts. Delianuova represents a unique case in Central-Southern Italy, acting as an open-air museum that unfolds predominantly along Via Umberto I and throughout the old streets of the village. The rare instances of green stone works found in a few other municipalities within the province of Reggio Calabria (Cosoleto, Scido, Oppido Mamertina, Sinopoli, Gioia Tauro, Polsi) were all crafted using stone extracted from the Deliese quarry, confirming the historical validity of the aforementioned council resolution.

Artists Working with Green Stone in Delianuova

For informational purposes, the following list details the contemporary artists currently active who, with passion and technical expertise, work the green stone to create sculptures and embellish fireplaces, villas, and cemetery chapels with artistically hand-carved stone cladding.

Here’s the list.

• Marsico Domenico, with a workshop on Via Gramsci;
• Frisina Michelangelo, with a workshop in Via Aspromonte;
• Macrì Giuseppe Antonio, with a workshop in Vico II Roma;
• Papalia Domenico, with a workshop in Via Vittorio Emanuele;
• De Mana Domenico, with a workshop in Via Gramsci;
• Carbone Giuseppe, with a workshop on Via Umberto I.

Edited by Giuseppe Carbone.

For Further Reading:

Those wishing to explore the topic further can consult the publication Pietra Verde | Delianuova, edited by Giuseppe Carbone and Daniela Gemelli, published by Nuove Edizioni Barbaro (2004), which is also available online.