Italy Travertine Quarries
Fabrizio Mariotti is interviewed by The Associated Press at the Mariotti Carlo SpA stonecutting firm in Tivoli, Italy, on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, as workers stack pieces of travertine that will be used to adorn the tower of the new Manhattan temple in New York City.
As featured on
The same travertine quarries near Rome that built St. Peter’s Basilica and the Colosseum are still being dug out today, providing the distinctive pock-marked rock to build a new generation of churches, temples and mosques worldwide. It is prized by architects for several reasons: It’s strong, plentiful and can withstand any number of climactic and environmental assaults. Depending on how and where it’s cut, it has a variety of looks: rough or sleek, in various colors. One of the latest projects is a new travertine façade for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple in New York City.
