Italy Travertine Quarries
Vincenzo De Gennaro, owner of the Degemar Quarry, is interviewed by The Associated Press at his quarry near Tivoli, Italy, 35 kilometers east of Rome, on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, where 17th-century Baroque architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini selected travertine for the colonnade of St. Peter's Square.
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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.
