THE COMPANY

OUR HISTORY

The Lupi family has been involved in the extraction, processing, and sale of natural stones for four generations, passing down expertise from master stonemasons and quarrymen since 1870. Starting in the 1950s, the company focused on marble extraction in Italy and, during the 1970s, developed travertine deposits in Morocco. In the 1980s, “Marmoelettromeccanica” was founded, a subsidiary dedicated to manufacturing diamond tools for marble, granite, and travertine processing. To further expand into finished products, KingStone was established in 2002, specializing in marble and travertine products. In 2010, “Gammastone” was launched, operating in the field of lightweight panels for ventilated facades. To complete our travertine product line, “Lupi Pietre” brand has been specifically created to introduce our company to the world of design and compositional innovation, offering exclusively Made in Italy finished products.

THE COMPANY

The group is synonymous with excellence and innovation, attributes that stem from years of experience in the stone sector and a relentless commitment to producing high-quality, exclusive products. The group was among the first to be ISO 9001 certified by IMQ (Italian Institute for Quality Mark), the leading Italian certification body and European leader in safety, quality, and sustainability evaluations and laboratory tests. The company has always considered research and technological development fundamental components for business growth, aiming to offer innovative and high-performance solutions capable of competing in the market.

THE INDUSTRIES

Although each company operates autonomously in terms of corporate structure, services, and products offered, collaboration is comprehensive, involving both personnel expertise and technical-industrial aspects. In many cases, this collaboration resembles a complete “production chain,” from raw material extraction to finished product delivery.

THE QUARRY

THE DEPOSIT

The quarry is located 20 km north of Rome, in the area between the Treja River and Monte Soratte. The deposit’s morphology is tabular and weakly wedge-shaped, interspersed within the pyroclastic formations that characterize the general geology of the outcrop area. The Lazio travertines are mostly defined as thermogenic; originating from different areas and varying in thicknesses, they are closely related to magmatic events that fit well into the genetic geological context of the formation of the Apennine chain. The age of the deposits is Pleistocene, ranging from 820,000 to 220,000 years ago.

THE EXTRACTION

The cultivation of the field takes place according to three main phases. The first phase involves cutting horizontally the wall of the mountain with the chain saw that makes precise cuts at the base of the mountain penetrating like the blade of a knife. The second phase involves a vertical cut into the mountain, separating a portion of rock known as a ‘bench,’ using a diamond wire machine. Once the bench is fully detached, it is pushed and made to fall using inflatable metal balloons. Once fallen, the bench typically breaks along its layers. The third phase involves squaring the blocks using a diamond wire saw to remove any defects and prepare them for subsequent processing stages.

THE ENVIROMENT

In carrying out its production and extraction activities, the company pays special attention to environmental respect, particularly landscape preservation aimed at restoring and conserving the quality of the land. To this end, the innovative “compartment” cultivation system is adopted, where the area recovery occurs concurrently with the extraction works. The cultivated compartment area is returned to its agricultural purpose during the cultivation of the next compartment. Before cultivation begins, geochemical analyses of the land are conducted to identify the “zero point” that must not be altered. Additionally, all guidelines of the UNI EN ISO 14001:2015 standard are followed in compliance with international environmental protection standards.

THE PRODUCTION

Post-extraction processing of blocks and rough-cut stones takes place at the production facilities in Civita Castellana (VT) and Rignano Flaminio (RM), covering a total area of about 10,000 square meters.

Production generally follows these phases: