Pietrasanta Marble carving

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Trip start
June 30, 2025
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Day 2
Tuesday, July 1, 2025 at 8:36 AM
☀️ 27 °C
Altitude: 184 m
Italy Pietrasanta 43.961347, 10.26727143°57’41” N 10°16’2” E
1
Day 1
July 1 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
What a beautiful location, glorious weather! Learning about the traditional artisan techniques & selecting our blocks and after a not so light (OMG sublime) lunch we were off...some progress made although apparently still not got the technique right. My wrist is nicely fixed but at the angle to hold a tennis racket not at 90⁰ and I'm not using the momentum of the hammer head movement correctly to tap & bounce it off the chisel. 🤦🏼‍♀️Read more
Wow - a beautiful environment 😘 [Alana]
7/1/25Reply
Traveler This looks delicious!
7/1/25Reply
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Pietrasanta Marble carving Traveler
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Day 2
Tuesday, July 1, 2025 at 6:26 PM
☀️ 32 °C
Altitude: 184 m
Italy Pietrasanta 43.961403, 10.26721543°57’41” N 10°16’2” E
Quick shop & drink in Pietrasanta
July 1 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C
Fabulous little town - so many galleries to explore this weekend.... absolutely loved these Circle of Life bronzes by Andrea Roggi
Town square uniquely has 3 bell towers - this was my favourite
TravelerLooks fabulous x
7/1/25Reply
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Day 2
Tuesday, July 1, 2025 at 9:14 PM
🌙 29 °C
Altitude: 95 m
Italy Pietrasanta 43.954591, 10.26535943°57’17” N 10°15’55” E
Day 2
July 1 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 29 °C
Bit frustrating as we had to continue practicing the artisanal hammer technique knowing full well that tomorrow everything we do today will be removed by power tools 🤦🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️
But apparently my technique had improved
The chips of stone were driving me mad going up my nose & sticking to my sweaty skin so went for a niqab approach!
Lots of bits of sculpture around the place.
Weird but nice cola substitute or possibly inspiration.
Then a few vinos...Read more
TravelerWhat are you going to make?
7/2/25Reply
TravelerAbstract thing
7/2/25Reply
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Day 3
Wednesday, July 2, 2025 at 5:20 PM
☀️ 31 °C
Altitude: 189 m
Italy Pietrasanta 43.962387, 10.26607843°57’45” N 10°15’58” E
3
Day 3 air hammers
July 2 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
Today we learnt about air hammers and how to use them. Haven't quite mastered how to "collaborate not control" the tool such that it's relaxing and not tiring 🤪
The vibrations are pretty intense in both hands & couldn't grip it with my padded cycling gloves so now 3 fingers are numb. We had some visitors today Charlie the sausage dog as usual getting underfoot, the sheep and a random leap past by a deer!
Also reassessing my design tonight....Read more
Traveler What’s it going to be?
7/2/25Reply
TravelerOrganic abstract leafy whale flukey thing around a sphere... maybe...
7/2/25Reply
TravelerLove the fluidity.
7/8/25Reply
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Day 4
Thursday, July 3, 2025 at 7:37 PM
⛅ 30 °C
Altitude: 95 m
Italy Pietrasanta 43.954594, 10.26529643°57’17” N 10°15’55” E
Day 4 diamond saws
July 3 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Or otherwise known as angle grinders with an expensive diamond tipped cutting disk. Never had such formal tuition on an angle grinder so that's good new learning. Not so thrilled with the no gloves rules...I do have my cut proof gloves with me.
In case anyone was wondering about the alt look ear defenders - socks! More comfortable than the plastic pads, absorb sweat and easily cleaned between students...genius.
My air hammer usage has improved, although my right forefinger is still numb from yesterday.
Another glorious lunch (for €10 each day) interestingly all the pasta Dado cooks with is gluten free as is the glorious bread he makes every day.
My bra full at the end of the day!
Despite trying to learn the ancient techniques that are supposed to make the work feel like play, I am really feeling it in the lower back & shoulders so opted for a massage with Sonja tonight. Arrived to see all her College of Naturopathy certificates. But the massage was nice and she new about lymphatic drainage massage for my left arm so all good. Although apparently bunions are indicative of problems with your mother!
Beautiful abandoned building window.Read more
TravelerFood looks great.
7/8/25Reply
TravelerI'm going to be a stone heavier I reckon when I get back (14 lbs) but some of it might be muscle...
7/9/25Reply
TravelerIt will be all muscle 💪 😂
7/14/25Reply
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Day 5
Friday, July 4, 2025 at 5:59 PM
☀️ 30 °C
Altitude: 184 m
Italy Pietrasanta 43.961349, 10.26725343°57’41” N 10°16’2” E
Day 5 more of the same ...
July 4 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
Fabulous breakfast blue skies extreme heat copious sweating collecting marble chips in my bra and up my nose glorious lunch (ravioli with ricotta butter & sage) and some progress.
Hopefully heading to the bar for homemade wood fired pizza and a few well earned beviesRead more
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Day 6
Saturday, July 5, 2025 at 12:32 PM
☀️ 30 °C
Altitude: 184 m
Italy Pietrasanta 43.961332, 10.26724743°57’41” N 10°16’2” E
Saturday morning
July 5 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
I skipped class this morning as my back was crippled, my ankles twice their normal size and carpel tunnel in both hands. After 1½ hours stretching and with my legs in the air, this improved enough to sit in the corner out of the sun!!!! With the cross breeze between 2 windowsRead more
TravelerOof! At least you had a lovely view to enjoy!
7/6/25Reply
TravelerHope you’re feeling better after a relaxing day 🥰
7/7/25Reply
TravelerGeez. Glad you are feeling better!! Are these side effects of the marble cutting you are doing ?
7/8/25Reply
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Day 6
Saturday, July 5, 2025 at 6:11 PM
☀️ 30 °C
Altitude: 22 m
Italy Pietrasanta 43.957421, 10.23220543°57’27” N 10°13’56” E
Sat afternoon pt 2
July 5 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
Another quirky window and more art.
Dinner started well but my main was odd - turned out to be a kind of tuna mayonnaise /Russian salad but tuna replaced by rabbit. It did not sit well but the wine was good. Bit of drama trying to find one of one 5 working taxis to take us back up the mountain as really didn't fancy over hours walking uphill in heat & dark!Read more
TravelerPlenty of inspiration!
7/6/25Reply
TravelerThat's for sure
7/8/25Reply
TravelerWhat an adventure you are having!!
7/8/25Reply
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Day 7
Sunday, July 6, 2025 at 10:04 AM
⛅ 24 °C
Altitude: 184 m
Italy Pietrasanta 43.961314, 10.26727743°57’41” N 10°16’2” E
Saturday afternoon
July 6 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
One of our colleagues kindly gave us a lift into town (we're actually staying in the hamlet of Valdecastillo) and we had gelato, then drinks which became lunch once we realised of course that everything was shut til 5! Interesting electrics in a public space! After that hot sweaty sweltering moody around art galleries (& a few linen shops for me) interspersed with aperol spritz.Read more
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Day 7
Sunday, July 6, 2025 at 10:16 AM
⛅ 24 °C
Altitude: 184 m
Italy Pietrasanta 43.961334, 10.26722843°57’41” N 10°16’2” E
1 1
Sat eve
July 6 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
Silvio Santine! OMG that thin marble!!!
Traveler What??? lol.
7/14/25Reply
Traveler Very cool!
7/14/25Reply
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Day 8
Monday, July 7, 2025 at 10:50 PM
🌙 21 °C
Altitude: 184 m
Italy Pietrasanta 43.961329, 10.26726443°57’41” N 10°16’2” E
Monday wk 2
July 7 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 21 °C
So I knew that Zimbabwean stone tells you what it wants to be....but apparently so does marble! After 2 days rest & recovery I came back to my piece this morning and what was supposed to be a leaf - like shape was saying "I'm a bird" so now it will be a bird...
And Ruth sporting her marble dust mascara despite safety glasses...Read more
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Day 10
Wednesday, July 9, 2025 at 8:52 PM
☀️ 21 °C
Altitude: 184 m
Italy Pietrasanta 43.961366, 10.26722543°57’41” N 10°16’2” E
Wednesday wk 2
July 9 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
So today Kyle offered me the brouchard bit for the air hammer! Oh game chanfer! Found my powered equivalent of the brick hammer I usually use. Got rid of all the ugly lumps and bumps from last week's learning exercises so I can now see the form clearly again. Combined with using a smaller air hammer and a bit of a tweak in my technique and I think I'm making progress.
However the stone has other thoughts - what was supposed to be a challenging but fairly simple organise abstract form has turned into a wading bird that can't decide which way it's facing and has a bloody nest with eggs and foliage 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️
Think I'm coming back in October to do week 3 (having hopefully worked out how the hell I represent a birds nest in a non tacky way 🤷🏼‍♀️) any ideas or inspiration suggestions welcome 😁
I made a fab salad for dinner....Read more
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Day 11
Thursday, July 10, 2025 at 6:24 PM
☀️ 25 °C
Altitude: 184 m
Italy Pietrasanta 43.96131, 10.26726443°57’41” N 10°16’2” E
Thursday wk 2
July 10 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Getting hotter again ...but not to last week's level.
Making progress, making errors, technique improving little by little....
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Day 11
Thursday, July 10, 2025 at 8:47 PM
☀️ 22 °C
Altitude: 184 m
Italy Pietrasanta 43.961338, 10.26724643°57’41” N 10°16’2” E
Environs
July 10 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
In case people are bored of just sculpture progress...
Sleeping bee..pics of hamlet and something very high up and some indication of the 2000 step hill hike back from bar to home...not to mention we have to go downhill & then up to get to studio and reverse for lunch (so 3 x up & 3 x down each day, unless you need to refill with spring water then add more)
And dinnerRead more
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Day 12
Friday, July 11, 2025 at 10:30 AM
☀️ 24 °C
Altitude: 184 m
Italy Pietrasanta 43.961324, 10.26726143°57’41” N 10°16’2” E
Final Friday
July 11 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
A change from the norm, straight after breakfast we headed to a working foundry and then a marble carving studio where we could see the old techniques of making a reproduction exactly to size post CNC starting it off. Amazing skills. Then, oh joy, the tool shop 🥰
Back for another amazing lunch and then cracking on with work.
Dinner gorgonzola & sausage pizza at our fab local bar with Maj & Aila. A couple of Dahu spritz for me and I bought a bottle of Dahu to bring home! Slog uphill home to a glass of port and bed.Read more
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Day 12
Friday, July 11, 2025 at 10:26 PM
🌙 20 °C
Altitude: 184 m
Italy Pietrasanta 43.961318, 10.26726243°57’41” N 10°16’2” E
Friday's work effort
July 11 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 20 °C
Not very happy with "foliage" I did yesterday so I worked on refining the bird's body and getting legs & knees going.
Temperature is rising ...And today's ending position
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Day 14
Sunday, July 13, 2025 at 7:55 AM
☁️ 21 °C
Altitude: 184 m
Italy Pietrasanta 43.961316, 10.26725643°57’41” N 10°16’2” E
1
Last Saturday
July 13 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Final morning in the studio. It got very hot again. I tried not to rush to do more and just make mistakes. Seems odd that I won't be working on this for months!
Came back to the house to find Charlie the sausage dog "herding" one of the sheep into the corner of the dining room 😲 it got frightened and had a wee 🤦🏼‍♀️ I got Charlie to shut up & go away then did my own spot of herding to get it out of the house...not a future career path I feel.
Then a spot of lunch a nap and a fun evening with Dado taking us to 2 live music gigs one in the communist bar.Read more
TravelerWhat an adventurous day. I can see not wanting to be a goat herder.
7/14/25Reply
Traveler Well on your way.
7/14/25Reply
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Day 14
Sunday, July 13, 2025 at 12:56 PM
🌧 22 °C
Altitude: 91 m
Italy Pietrasanta 43.954621, 10.2655543°57’17” N 10°15’56” E
Last day
July 13 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 22 °C
Thought I was being helpful by stripping the bed only to find a bunch of mud wasps nests had been sharing it with me 😲
Plans were slightly disrupted by torrential rain & Sergio being stuck parked up in his car with his 4 years old daughter & Charlie the sausage dog, unable to drive as he didn't get his windscreen wipers fixed. 🤷🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️
So instead of heading into Pietrasanta for a lovely leisurely lunch on the square before getting the train to Pisa, we're back in our local bar (sodden), while Dado goes to the rescue, having a few more Aperol/Select/Dahu spritzes with a homemade lasagna filled with gorgonzola & walnuts followed by fig tart!
And yes I may have gained a few pounds (not just just my arm and now my hand are substantially swollen)
Pisa airport was mad - so crowded there was no floor space left to sit on and people started sitting on the stairs too!Read more
TravelerNow you're in Ronda 🤔🤔🤔
7/14/25Reply
TravelerI don't know why it would choose an old trip when I go to make a footprint 🤷🏼‍♀️
7/14/25Reply
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Trip end
July 13, 2025