ABSTRACT
Stones coming from the whole Mediterranean world were diffused in Roman times, but only two coloured limestones (Rosso di Francia and Broccatello di Spagna) were imported from abroad in the following centuries and both were employed for their unusual colour (altars, inlays, etc.). An unusual colour also features larvikite, a Carboniferous igneous rock from Norway; its dull grey to silver blue shimmering colour was mainly appreciated for polished tombstones.
The use of building stones has been mainly devoted to the interior flooring since the end of World War II, at the same time the use of “new” materials (concrete, metal, glass, ceramic, synthetic substances, etc.) strongly increased. Among igneous rocks from Europe and overseas were privileged red, brown and black colours, such as Balmoral red, Baltic brown, Rosa Porriño and Nero Zimbabwe; among sedimentary rocks were privileged the deep black limestones Nero del Belgio and Negro Marquiña; among metamorphic rocks were privileged blue quartzites (Azul Macaubas) and green serpentinites (Verde Guatemala).
