Azzano and the quarries. I was born in 1951 in this small village in the Versilia mountains, surrounded by marble quarries and inhabited mainly by quarrymen. Ever since I was a teenager, I have been drawn to the quarry environment; the sounds, smells and images are still vivid in my mind today. The man who played the tuba and shouted ‘alla minaa’ to warn of danger; the roar of the explosions and the strong smell of burnt gunpowder, the rhythmic clatter of the stonemasons squaring the blocks, but above all the almost hypnotic sound of the marble slabs being cut using the wire saw and silica sand, the main abrasive. The return pulleys mounted on the steel columns, the helical wire stretching for hundreds of metres, the simple yet functional mechanism for tensioning it and its astonishing effectiveness. The quarry foreman’s language, giving orders through whistles and gestures; all of this has always fascinated me.

School and Seravezza. In 1962, I started attending secondary school in Seravezza, and from the school windows I could hear a sound that would later become familiar to me: the sandblasting machines at a nearby sawmill. I had always wondered how the blocks of marble were worked after being extracted from the quarry, and my father, who was also a quarryman, had explained it to me. One day I played truant and, not without difficulty, went to visit the sawmills and marble workshops along the river. I was thrilled!

Art Institute and Pietrasanta. In 1965, I finally began to fulfil my desire to learn more about marble by attending the Art Institute. In addition to various cultural subjects, art history and the study of Italian and foreign marbles, I practised drawing and various manual techniques using chisels and mallets, pneumatic hammers, a hand-held drill and a milling machine that still cut with a carborundum disc. In Pietrasanta, the historical and artistic capital of Versilia, I constantly visited the city’s many marble workshops and met many artists who later became famous. I fell more and more in love with marble and also with a local girl, a very pretty young woman named Anna, who would later become my wife.

Campolonghi was almost like a university course in ‘stone sciences’. I’d always known Vando D’Angiolo, who was also from Azzano; everyone talks about him, the ‘doctor’, and his exceptional success in the world of marble. At the end of 1969, I went to see him at his workshop at 2123 Via Aurelia in Querceta. I told him of my strong desire to work in the marble sector and, after spending some time in his office amidst various phone calls, precise instructions to his staff and even the odd colourful expletive, he said, “Come with me, let’s go to Campolonghi in Montignoso.” During the short, whirlwind car journey, he explained that he and his partner, Mr Frediani, had joined forces with this major company. I followed him like a shadow; he spoke to the various department heads, to an American client in English, to his new partners, and then he took me to the draughtsmen’s office where, standing in front of a drawing laid out on a drafting table, he asked me a few technical questions which I answered easily. We returned to Querceta and on the way he told me, ‘You’re hired; on Monday you’ll start work as a draughtsman.’ I was over the moon – it felt like a dream come true!

Anecdote. On Monday morning, I was handed a tracksuit, a rubber apron and a pair of boots, and the workshop manager, Battista Fazzi, explained that I was to cut small samples from a mountain of offcuts of various types of granite to send to customers who had requested them. I cut them using a table saw, which I’d learnt to use at school. They often arrived at their destination broken, and I had to send them again. Idea! I split them in half to make them lighter and glued them onto a thin layer of plywood; finally, as well as being lighter and cheaper to post, I made them indestructible. I received lots of compliments! I carry an old notebook with me and jot everything down; I note the quality of each granite, its origin, and its resistance to cutting. I’m a bit surprised by the change in role, but I don’t mind the physical work. Every day I learn about many different types of granite. I also learn about diamond blades; some cut well but didn’t last long, others the opposite. I also make notes about the blades in my diary; they start calling me ‘paper man’ in a friendly way! The diamond blades needed a lot of improvement; perhaps a sign of my future work!

After nearly two months, the Doctor called me in and asked how many types of granite I knew; I opened my notebook – I’d classified and numbered them – and there were 98. He congratulated me and said, ‘From tomorrow, you can work in the technical department in the role for which I hired you. No punishment, just a lesson – make the most of it!’ I thanked him with genuine gratitude.

It was a happy time for the marble, there was plenty of work but the granite at that time little known was much, much more in demand; a “boom” in demand! In the United States, in Canada, Japan and even in Europe it was preferred for its greater strength in general and used for cladding of huge skyscrapers and huge squares for paving.

The owners Vando D’Angiolo, Luigi Piacentini, Tommaso Volterrani and Baldo Frediani had acquired from Eng. Campolonghi the majority of the shares and distinguished themselves in Italy and the world for their industriousness and for the trust that had in this new stone sector. They secured large contracts which lasted as long as three or four years.

There was a need to speed up all production processes. The motto was “Innovate and automate; more output, better quality, lower costs!” I was asked to work with management to find new machinery and tools that would boost productivity. I accepted with enthusiasm!

New workshops, overhead cranes, storage yards for slabs and blocks, gantry cranes, new and ever-larger frames, belt polishers, automatic bridge saws and multi-disc angle band saws; new drilling lines, new electromechanical and hydraulic systems for automation. I work with many machinery manufacturers and toolmakers.

It was at Campolonghi that the first roller-polishing line was developed, featuring pre- and post-conveyor belt polishing, which grinds and polishes granite slabs to perfection, increasing production twentyfold.

All departments were being upgraded with the aim of increasing production, improving quality and reducing costs. Campolonghi continued to buy up neighbouring land and expand. Every department was equipped with all manner of automated systems; I had become the purchasing manager and was playing a part in this revolution! I was fascinated by this role and worked with dedication and passion for many hours a day. I was the go-to person for any problem; the number of diaries used as notebooks grew; I had one for each department and I resolved some issues personally. For example, I came up with the idea for a device to test the strength of the anchors in the processed slabs used for skyscraper cladding, and I also devised the diamond-tipped drill bit with an offset cutting edge for blind holes, thanks to which the drilling lines could finally operate without interruption.

I fully understand an important concept: “that no machine can work properly without a tool that works properly, and vice versa”; the combination of machines and tools must be perfect!