Carrara
Blue-white · fine gray veins. Apuan marble connects Roman construction, Renaissance sculpture and modern interiors.
Best for: Baths, fireplaces, sculpture and kitchens that accept etching.
Watch for: Acids etch calcite even after sealing.
Italy · Marble
Carrara / Apuan Alps
Tuscany · Apuan Alps. Carrara, Calacatta, Statuario.
- Rock
- calcitic marble
- How it formed
- Jurassic limestone recrystallized during the Apennine orogeny; fine to medium grain.
- Minerals
- calcite, graphite/clay in the gray veins, iron oxides in the golden veins
- Colours
- white, light gray
- Veining
- fine, diffuse gray (Carrara); branching and bold (Calacatta); dark gray on a very white background (Statuario)
- Well-known stones
- Bianco Carrara · Calacatta Oro/Borghini/Vagli · Statuario · Arabescato · Bardiglio
- Note
- The names Calacatta and Statuario are borrowed by almost every engineered quartz in the world.
Trade names are matched by rock family. The exact origin of a slab comes with its lot documents.
Stones from here
What comes out of Carrara.
Calacatta
Bright white · bold gray · occasional gold. A commercial selection defined by background and dramatic vein character.
Best for: Luxury baths, islands and feature walls.
Watch for: The name is used broadly across natural and manufactured products.
Statuario
Luminous white · restrained dark veins. Sculptural white background and selective veining command exceptional grading.
Best for: Sculpture, bookmatched walls and low-acid luxury interiors.
Watch for: Scarcity drives substitutions and naming confusion.
Arabescato
White · looping gray arabesque veins. Branching, interlaced veins create highly graphic slab sequences.
Best for: Feature walls, baths and dramatic fireplaces.
Watch for: Vein intensity and background change markedly by lot.
Calacatta Borghini
Milk white · gray · warm gold. Extremely limited premium blocks place it among the rarest architectural marbles.
Best for: Collector-grade residential statements.
Watch for: Marketing names alone are not evidence of authenticity.
Fior di Bosco
Taupe · smoke · fine white veins. Its woodland palette combines smoky calcite with a network of thin white fractures.
Best for: Baths, fireplaces, walls, furniture and kitchens designed to patina.
Watch for: Calcite and dolomite can etch; sealers do not prevent chemical etching.
Bardiglio
Blue-gray · charcoal · white veins. A gray Apuan counterpart to white Carrara selections, colored by fine impurities.
Best for: Baths, fireplaces, walls, furniture and kitchens designed to patina.
Watch for: Calcite and dolomite can etch; sealers do not prevent chemical etching.
Breccia Capraia
White · purple · burgundy · gray. Broken carbonate fragments were recemented into a naturally graphic breccia.
Best for: Baths, fireplaces, walls, furniture and kitchens designed to patina.
Watch for: Calcite and dolomite can etch; sealers do not prevent chemical etching.
Pietra Serena
Cool blue-gray · fine uniform grain. The restrained gray stone of Florentine Renaissance architectural detail.
Best for: Walls, floors, fireplaces and textured architectural surfaces.
Watch for: Porosity and cement strength vary widely between deposits.
A stone from Italy?
Send us its name or a photo and we will identify the slab and tell you plainly how it behaves.