Petrophysical-mechanical behavior of Grisolia stone found in the architectural heritage of southern Italy

Abstract

Grisolia is one of the building stones most commonly found in the architectural heritage of southern Italy. Also known commercially as “gold stone” for its yellow intrusions, Grisolia was employed by the leading Calabrian schools of stonemasons, principally in the southern Italian regions of Calabria and Basilicata. It is an Upper Triassic crystalline carbonate quarried in the Verbicaro Unit on Calabria’s northern Tyrrhenian coast.

Possessing petrographic, physical and mechanical properties that ensure stone strength and durability, it is a high-quality building material suitable for structural and ornamental uses. These properties can be attributed to its low open porosity and excellent hydric behavior (low capillary water absorption), as well as to its high mechanical strength and low anisotropy. These characteristics make it recommendable as a building material for both restoration and new construction.