ABSTRACT
The narrow territory of this region features mountains (Maritime Alps and Apennine) falling into the Tyrrhenian Sea and a geology of Tertiary sedimentary rocks (Pietra di Finale, a skeletal limestone) and ophiolites, a particular kind of ferro-magnesian rock coming from the oceanic crust. These rocks are called “Green stones” and include gabbro, diabase, serpentinite and some green or red ophicalcites, quarried in the centre (Val Polcevera - Pietra Lavezzara) and eastern parts of the region (Riviera di Levante - Bonassola and Levanto). Ophicalcites were already used in altar decorations, but they were largely employed in the 1930s, mainly as slab for cladding and for flooring. Another decorative stone is the Portoro, a very beautiful stone featuring a deep black ground with golden veins.
