In part, the majestic Duomo of Milan owes its allure to the 3,400 statues and 135 spiers that adorn its façade. These sculptures are crafted from the precious white marble streaked with rose pink; a stone that has been extracted from the Madre di Candoglia quarry for over six centuries.

The blocks were then transported to their destination, the construction site of Milan’s Gothic cathedral, by following the flow of the Toce and Verbano rivers, and the Lombardy Navigli canals.  

Located at the entrance to the Val d'Ossola, in the municipality of Mergozzo, the quarry can be visited on pre-established days and times by booking through the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo website.

Between Verbano and the nearby Val d'Ossola there are numerous quarries that distinguish the landscape: extraordinary naturalistic, historical and artistic complexes of geometric beauty. They are spectacular stone ‘theatres’, so uniquely evocative as to be used as a majestic stage for the famous music festival “Tones on the Stones”.

On these occasions, the marble, granite and gneiss of the quarries are transformed into scenic stone stages carved out of the rock, the perfect atmospheric backdrop for internationally renowned artists, creating an extraordinary experience.

In addition to the Candoglia quarry, in Bassa Ossola the ancient Ornavasso Quarry is one of the most spectacular examples of underground marble excavation. Its main entrance leads into an artificial gallery with a vault and walls entirely covered with the excavated material. The colours and veining of the stone are truly stunning: thanks to which, over time, the marble extracted from the Ornavasso quarry has also been used for the construction of some of the great masterpieces of Italian art.

In Montorfano, a scenic white granite quarry has provided the construction material for many great works over many centuries. In 1830, for example, the stone was quarried for the construction of the 82 columns of the Basilica of S. Paolo Fuori le Mura in Rome, where they were transported on their long journey along the Italian waterways.

There are also the pink granite quarries on Monte Camoscio. Here, in a real open-air museum, visitors will be able to discover the path of the picasass, the road taken by the quarrymen to reach the stone cultivation areas.