Bagnolo Piemonte: the Pietra Tec event celebrates Luserna Stone and its related industries
An opportunity to promote and enhance the “grey gold” of our valleys: uses, uses, but also history and a look at how the extraction basin has characterized and influenced the development of the territory and the economic impact on it.
An event organized by the Pro Loco of Bagnolo Piemonte, in collaboration with Eventful, the Municipal Administration, the Ass. Quarrymen’s Union and the Ass. Leonardo Da Vinci Mining Basin, with the patronage of all the municipalities of the mining basins and of Confartigianato Imprese Piemonte and Confartigianato Cuneo.
Why organize an event focused on Luserna Stone?
The main objective of Pietra Tec is to promote the value of this eternal material by describing its unique characteristics, increasing knowledge and offering insights into its uses, from traditional to more contemporary, including design.
Another fundamental aspect is to ensure that the event represents a cultural opportunity for the public and the new generations, exploring all the phases of an ancient and fascinating profession, the result of mastery and tradition, which today is combined with the most modern technologies. An opportunity to instil among young people a passion for the material and knowledge of the extraction and manufacturing processes.
“An event that looks to the past but above all points to the future, to the new uses of the stone and to innovations in terms of extraction and processing – explain the organizers – the Luserna Stone is then defined as the gray gold of this territory. Just look at the numbers.”
The Luserna stone extraction sector in the territory of Luserna, Rorà and Bagnolo Piemonte reveals significant figures and a significant impact on the local economy. According to estimates provided by industry representatives, annual extraction activity reaches approximately 1,000,000 cubic meters of stone.
The numbers relating to the people employed are also important, explains Gianluca Odetto, regional President of the Confartigianato Piemonte stone group: “The extraction activities directly involve around 250 workers in the quarries, with a total of over 1500 employees also considering the storage and processing structures of the stone. Around fifty companies operate in the sector, of which around twenty are of greater importance in terms of turnover and number of employees”.
But there are also many curiosities: 20% of the stone extracted leaves Italy to be used in projects of international importance, such as the Louvre 2 Museum in Abu Dhabi, but also Prague and Tokyo. However, there are numerous examples of prestigious works carried out with Luserna Stone nearby, including the royal palaces, the dome of the Mole Antonelliana, the porticoes of Via Po, the Churchyard of the Gran Madre and the roofs of the buildings in Piazza Vittorio Veneto.
These data and much more will be discussed from Friday 24th to Sunday 26th May at Pietra Tec, an important event with a focus on technical and professional training in the stone sector. The organizers explain: “Pietra Tec aims to promote aggregation and training among sector operators, offering a unique opportunity for networking and knowledge exchange. A fundamental novelty of this edition is precisely the idea of creating a network, which is why we worked a lot on the meetings on Friday and Saturday”. The complete program is visible on the website www.pietratec.it
The fulcrum of the edition will be the Pietra Tec pavilion, where meetings, conferences, practical demonstrations and a multimedia exhibition on all the extraction and manufacturing processes will be held. Friday will be dedicated to those who employ and use Luserna Stone, while Saturday will be focused on those who extract and work it, with insights into new work opportunities and technologies.
But alongside B2B, another soul of Pietra Tec lives: the desire is to make this material known to enthusiasts, the curious and others.
For this reason, the Pro Loco of Bagnolo Piemonte, together with the organizers, has structured the event into four main areas:
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Technical area: Pietra Tec pavilion, with meetings, conferences, insights, exhibition of the different stone processing and the multimedia exhibition on all phases of the supply chain.
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External exhibition area: where operators in the sector will exhibit their activities and present the latest news but also some curiosities
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Pietra Sound: a space to listen to good music and have fun while sipping a cocktail, but also a food area with self-service organized by the Borg8 Association and the Proloco. Here you can find typical dishes of Piedmontese cuisine, but above all the specialty: Losetta pasta, small gray lasagnettes that recall the Luserna stone.
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Pietra Kids: an area dedicated to families, children and teenagers with many activities and workshops to discover this material.
Alongside the areas and moments of discussion, there will be a very rich program such as the multimedia exhibition and the material library (which will open on Friday 24 May from 5pm), the concerts and DJ sets during the three evenings and performances.
There will also be plenty of space for athletes (with an E-MTB bike ride and a table football tournament) and demonstrations with trial bikes. On Saturday afternoon, children will be able to create the Pietra Tec mascot and discover the Pietra tours, including a route with trial motorbikes suitable for the little ones. Sunday afternoon skill competitions for maneuvering mechanized vehicles and strong man performances. (Detailed program attached)
Pietra Tec 2024 promises to be an unmissable event to explore the new frontiers of the processing and use of Luserna stone.
Join us for an unforgettable experience in the heart of the Piedmontese valleys.
