Urban Rockhounding in Italy I: Lake Como, Bellagio, and Lugano, Granite, Gneiss, Marble, Limestone

This first episode covers the beginning of our trip, and we explore the local stones used in the construction of the Como Cathedral, the streets and sidewalks of Como and Bellagio, as well as a brief look at Lugano, Switzerland, and the common stone used in construction there. We see such notable stones as serizzo ghiandone, which is quarried in Valmasino; San Fedelino White, quarried near the north end of the lake at Novate Mezzola; glacial erratics as a source of local stone for construction and street paving; the white marble quarried at Musso that is used for much of the Como Cathedral's construction, along with the accompanying Varenna marble. Pietra di Luserna (Luserna Stone) was used to pave these squares around the Cathedral. It is quarried in Italy’s Piedmont region, as well as several stones from Switzerland, such as the Valser Gneiss and the Cresciano Granite, along with other important stones in the area.
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