World at work: Marble quarrying in Tuscany

In the same area, the excavation, or to use the formal term "exploitation", is carried out at an altitude between 200 and 1600 metres above sea level. Because of the altitude some quarries close during the winter months due to snow and ice. An average journey from the quarry site to the valley takes about 1-2 hours. [...]excavation has almost always been carried out in the open air, but recently underground exploitation has developed, partly because of the environmental protection laws set up by the Regional Park, where all the quarries in Alta Versilia are located.