Industrial activities are characterized by rapid and continuous processes of obsolescence. The technological transformations of the contemporary world have progressively marginalized historical industrial systems, often leading communities to overlook infrastructures and production mechanisms that no longer serve current economic needs (Augé, 2014, pp. 31–60). Within this perspective, many historical elements of the Carrara marble basin—such as the stations of the marble railway, overhead cranes, piani inclinati, and vie di lizza—are frequently perceived as remnants of a past that has been superseded by modern extraction technologies and industrial practices. This emphasis on innovation and modernization has accelerated the abandonment of older industrial systems, leaving machinery, infrastructures, and production landscapes vulnerable to neglect and decay. Over time, these artefacts become material traces of former technological paradigms, gradually eroded alongside the landscapes in which they are embedded (Clément, 2019, p. 71). Yet these remains constitute a significant component of the cultural and historical identity of quarrying territories. The research highlights the potential for reactivating interest in such elements through alternative interpretative approaches and innovative methodologies for the recognition of cultural value. By moving beyond a purely functional understanding of industrial heritage, it becomes possible to acknowledge the historical, social, and symbolic significance of infrastructures originating from different phases of quarrying activity. Over the centuries, marble extraction has profoundly shaped the landscape of Carrara, generating a complex palimpsest of material traces that can be interpreted through the lenses of history, archaeology, art, and heritage studies. This perspective allows the landscape to be read as the result of a long-term process of technological evolution, revealing how successive innovations in extraction, transportation, and processing techniques have continuously transformed both the territory and its cultural meanings.
Geografie estrattive. Letture culturali e strategie di tutela del patrimonio del marmo. Il caso studio del Bacino estrattivo di Carrara / Extractive Geographies: Cultural approaches and conservation strategies for marble quarry heritage. The Carrara Basin.
Emanuela Sorbo
;Sofia Tonello
2026-01-01
Abstract
Industrial activities are characterized by rapid and continuous processes of obsolescence. The technological transformations of the contemporary world have progressively marginalized historical industrial systems, often leading communities to overlook infrastructures and production mechanisms that no longer serve current economic needs (Augé, 2014, pp. 31–60). Within this perspective, many historical elements of the Carrara marble basin—such as the stations of the marble railway, overhead cranes, piani inclinati, and vie di lizza—are frequently perceived as remnants of a past that has been superseded by modern extraction technologies and industrial practices. This emphasis on innovation and modernization has accelerated the abandonment of older industrial systems, leaving machinery, infrastructures, and production landscapes vulnerable to neglect and decay. Over time, these artefacts become material traces of former technological paradigms, gradually eroded alongside the landscapes in which they are embedded (Clément, 2019, p. 71). Yet these remains constitute a significant component of the cultural and historical identity of quarrying territories. The research highlights the potential for reactivating interest in such elements through alternative interpretative approaches and innovative methodologies for the recognition of cultural value. By moving beyond a purely functional understanding of industrial heritage, it becomes possible to acknowledge the historical, social, and symbolic significance of infrastructures originating from different phases of quarrying activity. Over the centuries, marble extraction has profoundly shaped the landscape of Carrara, generating a complex palimpsest of material traces that can be interpreted through the lenses of history, archaeology, art, and heritage studies. This perspective allows the landscape to be read as the result of a long-term process of technological evolution, revealing how successive innovations in extraction, transportation, and processing techniques have continuously transformed both the territory and its cultural meanings.
I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
