Cava Madre

This is one of the quarries supplying pink marble for Milan Cathedral. The main quarry, known as the ‘Cava Madre’, is underground; other active or disused quarries are located nearby.

It is a marble resulting from high-grade metamorphism, but unfortunately it is rather impure; in addition to calcite, it contains many silicates and sulphides, such as pyrite, which, when exposed to the air, oxidises and turns into limonite, causing rust-coloured stains. Consequently, only a small proportion of the marble quarried can be used as cladding for the cathedral.

The pink marble forms a number of thin intercalations within the Kinzigiti formations in the Ivrea-Verbano area. The lenses are folded and discontinuous; their thickness varies from one metre to tens of metres.

The quarries are owned by the Fabbriceria del Duomo. Visitors must seek permission from the Fabbriceria’s management and must be accompanied by quarry staff.