Schistose gneiss quarried in the Cottian Prealps, between Val Pellice and Valle Po — in the municipalities of Luserna San Giovanni, Rorà, Bagnolo Piemonte and Barge. Quarrying has been documented since the mid-17th century, and has always been an economic resource for the area.

Where you’ve already seen it

• Outdoor paving at the royal residences of Turin, Racconigi and Venaria Reale
• Mole Antonelliana: slabs interspersed with courses of brick, still visible today, specified by Antonelli to stiffen what was, at the time, the tallest masonry building in the world
• Between the two World Wars, 90% of Turin’s staircases and pavements were made of Luserna Stone

Traditional uses

Splitting the block into slabs produces urban paving (slabs, kerbs, walkways, gutters), building elements (steps, thresholds, door and window jambs, lintels, balconies) and the famous roofing “lose” (stone roof tiles).

From Piedmont to the world

Since the 1970s, its use has spread nationally and then internationally: works in Luserna Stone can be found throughout Europe and as far afield as the United States, Canada, Japan, Thailand and Australia.