Macigno sandstone from Garfagnana and Vellano (north-western Tuscany): Chemical, mineralogical, petrographic and physical characterization of a building material

The sandstones belonging to the flysch-like deposits of the Macigno Formation are nearly the most used stones as a building material in north-western Tuscany. From prehistoric times to date, this stone has been employed to produce a wide variety of stone structures: prehistoric statue-stele, medieval monumental churches, railway infrastructures, town paving and civil buildings. The wide use of Macigno sandstones is responsible for the typical appearance of most towns and villages in north-western Tuscany; in fact, they show the grey to grey-yellowish colour of this stone, which lends them a quaint, old-time look. The aim of this work is the chemical, mineralogical, petrographical, physical and mechanical characterization of the Macigno sandstone from Garfagnana (LU) and Vellano (PT) within a wider research project directed to deepen the knowledge about the alteration and the decay of these sandstones.