Alabaster is surrounded by an aura of mistery; its opalescent and translucent qualities were appreciated not only by the Etruscans, but alsoby the Assyrians and Phoenicians who, form ancient times, used it for their splendid funeral urns. Today it is used for statues, lampshades and precious objects. The finest quality comes from two quarries in the area where it is found in the form of spherical or oval blocks submerged in the sediment of natural clay and sand and which have to be quarried by using underground galleries. In some case these extend for as much as thirty kilometers. The working of alabster, is today the principal business activity in the area surrounding Volterra and many artisans are dedicated to prudicing individual objects of design and quality.
Not to be missed the HISTORIC MUSEUM OF ALABASTER in Volterra, !!!!
