Pietrasanta, Italy: Europe's artisan city that invented Ferrari's first engine

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This was published 7 years ago

Pietrasanta, Italy: Europe's artisan city that invented Ferrari's first engine

By Rob McFarland
Sculptures by artist Fernando Botero on display in the central square of Pietrasanta Tuscany, Italy.

Sculptures by artist Fernando Botero on display in the central square of Pietrasanta Tuscany, Italy.Credit: Alamy

I watch mesmerised as three dust-covered sculptors use power tools to carve a 20-tonne block of dazzling white marble. One of them is wearing a hat made out of newspaper, the traditional headgear of choice for local artisans. Eventually, the block will be transformed into a six-metre-long sculpture of the Holy Mother, a scaled up version of a wooden model on a table nearby.

It took the owners of the Cervietti marble studio six months to find this particular piece of stone and the sculpture will take a year to complete. It's been commissioned by an Asian organisation that has requested the figure be given Oriental features.

Nearby is a five-metre-high marble sculpture of a Korean couple holding hands (a private commission that will be shipped to Korea), a bust of Andrea Bocelli and an arresting sculpture by Marc Quinn of "Pregnant Man" Thomas Beatie, who had surgery to become a woman and then got pregnant.

A sculptor shows off his skills at one of the 90 marble workshops found in Pietrasanta, Italy.

A sculptor shows off his skills at one of the 90 marble workshops found in Pietrasanta, Italy. Credit: Alamy

This is the modern face of an industry that's been centred on the small Italian town of Pietrasanta in northern Tuscany for centuries. Located 35 kilometres from Pisa, the town is wedged between the coast and the foothills of the Apuan Alps, which contain some of the finest marble in the world (Pietrasanta literally means "sacred rock"). From the car park of the studio, I can clearly see the road Michelangelo carved into the face of Mt Altissimo in the 16th century to quarry its precious white stone.

Since then the area has continued to lure artists from around the world. One of the pioneers of abstract sculpture, Henry Moore, spent time here as have renowned international artists Igor Mitoraj, Fernando Botero and Hollywood actress-turned-sculptor Gina Lollobrigida.

The best place to appreciate the region's artistic heritage is at the Bozzetti Museum in the town's Piazza Duomo. Located in the cloisters of a former Augustinian monastery, it's the world's only museum of maquettes, the original plaster models from which sculptures are created. It has more than 600, including Cesar Baldaccini's famous sculpture of his thumb (Le Pouce).

The Ferrari GTC4Lusso.

The Ferrari GTC4Lusso.Credit: Lorenzo Marcinno

The museum's curator, Valentina Fogher, explains the artist often only creates the original maquette; the resulting sculpture is carved by an artisan who scales it up to the desired size using a measuring device called a pantograph.

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Pietrasanta's artistic community peaked in the 1970s when the streets were said to be full of artisans covered in marble dust. Demand has since dwindled but the town still has 90 marble studios, six bronze foundries and six mosaic studios, plus other workshops specialising in printing and ceramics.

As it happens, the reason I'm in Pietrasanta has nothing to do with the town's artistic credentials. I'm here for the launch of Ferrari's new grand tourer, the stunning GTC4Lusso – the first four-seater Ferrari with four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering. Yesterday, we spent a thrilling day whizzing through the surrounding hills on narrow, squirming roads, effortlessly overtaking lumbering lorries laden with huge blocks of marble from the nearby quarries.

Why did Ferrari choose to launch the GTC4Lusso in Pietrasanta? Because the town's other claim to fame is that it's where Father Eugenio Barsanti and Felice Matteucci invented the first version of the internal combustion engine in 1853. Barsanti's house is now a museum and for the last 16 years the Barsanti and Matteucci Award has been presented to an individual who's been instrumental in the advancement of the combustion engine. In April this year, the award was given to Ferrari's then chief executive, Amedeo Felisa.

The town is surprisingly coy about this legacy (the Barsanti museum is rather underwhelming and is only open at weekends), choosing instead to focus on its artistic heritage. Wander through Pietrasanta's gallery-lined streets and you'll soon stumble upon one of the 70 public sculptures scattered throughout the town. Frustratingly, there's no definitive map, guide or audio tour of the collection. Easier to locate is the Piazza Duomo, which is home to an ever-changing roster of sculptures and exhibitions all year round.

On my last day, Fogher takes me to the Mariani bronze foundry, where owner Nicola Agolini walks me through the complicated process of turning a plaster maquette into a bronze sculpture. It's laborious work requiring highly-skilled artisans, but the finished artwork only bears the name of the original artist. The price the foundry charges is determined by the materials required and the complexity of the piece but what the artist will get for it is anyone's guess. "Art is a mystery," says Agolini, shrugging. "I don't buy it. Better to stick to what you know."

TRIP NOTES

MORE INFORMATION

italia.it/en

gtc4lusso.ferrari.com

GETTING THERE

Emirates flies from Sydney and Melbourne to Pisa via Dubai and London. See emirates.com

STAYING THERE

Ideally located in the heart of Pietrasanta, Palazzo Visdomini has six spacious antique-filled suites and a gorgeous walled garden. See residenzapalazzovisdomini.com

SEE + DO

Bozzetti Museum, Via S. Agostino 1. Open Monday from 9am-1pm; Tuesday to Saturday from 9am-1pm and 7pm-midnight; Sunday from 7pm-midnight. Free entrance. See museodeibozzetti.it

Barsanti Museum, Via Marzocco 1. Open Saturday and Sunday from 4pm-7pm. Free entrance. See barsantiematteucci.it

Rob McFarland was a guest of Ferrari.

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