Articolo disponibile anche in: Italian

Going up the hill from the Piazza of Greve in Chianti, you arrive first at vineyards and olive groves, and then the woods. Then, the area opens up into a fascinating geometric basin.

It is the Caprolo Cave, from which the company, Frosini Pietre, has been extracting the Pietra Macigno (stone boulder) since 1983.

There are testimonials about this site going back to the 18th century, confirmed by the works of Franco Rodolico and Rino Sartori, two important scholars of Italian geology.

The area on which the cavesite is located, is set up on the “torbiditica oligo-miocenica” formation of the boulder, on the east side of the hilly zone which makes up the back side of the Chianti mountains. It faces Valdarno on one side and Panzano and Sienese Chianti on the other.

The Pietra Macigno has a grayish green color, alternating strong layers of compact rock. In the cave, where modern machines are used, you still breathe the air of antique labor: of sun, of dust, of rain.

In the background, you can see a familiar panorama, typical of our area, with rows of Chianti Classico vines as far as the eye can see, and farm houses, some of which have become agri-tourism structures.

A brilliant gray dominates and changes shades in the same way the clouds change shape. It is the reign of trucks and excavators. Everything begins here. From hundreds of past years, the Pietra Macigno surfaces.

It is extracted with knowledge and expertise, to then become flooring, shelving, pillars, wall coverings; a swimming pool’s edge, a fountain or windowsill; a staircase, a table; or a bench… like those beautiful benches “signed” Frosini Pietre, recently installed in the historic center of Prato.

The boulder in the middle of the vineyards: it is, physically, due to the placement of the cave; it will be, in occasion of the Chianti Classico 2016 Expo, with the splendid project created by the “Liceo Artistico Statale” (Artistic High School) of Florence in Porta Romana, in its second edition.

In fact, from September 8th to September 11th, Frosini Pietre will be in Piazza Matteotti of Greve with three students from sculpture class (Giorgio Crescentini, Brando Pieraccini and Francesco Cansella), assisted by professor Rocco Spina.

They will sculpt the Greve Pietra Macigno. Last year they created the coat of arms of the town of Greve in Chianti and donated it to the town administration. This year, they will sculpt the beautiful “Gallo Nero” (Black Rooster), symbol of Chianti Classico wine and the coat of arms of the Consortium of Chianti Classico Wine.

In addition, on Saturday, September 10th, on the afternoon of the Chianti Classico Expo, it will be possible to visit the Frosini Pietre cave with a guide. It will be a special voyage to a unique place in the Chianti territory.

Information and contacts: www.frosinipietre.it – via Livornese 769, 50055 Lastra a Signa – 055/8724105-6 – 3357573161 – giacomomartelli@frosinipietre.it – 320179053.