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The Pink Limestone of Mount Subasio


[image ALT: A shack on a barren windswept crest carpeted with dry grasses.]

Somewhere east of the summit.

Subasio, as it is affectionately referred to — nobody ever calls it by its full name of Monte Subasio — is a large limestone boulder whose brooding rounded profile sets its apart from the other mountains in the area. Subasio limestone runs from greyish or brownish white to beige and deep pink. It is the stone that was used to build most of Spello and Assisi; it's also what you see above, crushed to make the main road over the mountain.

You will see Subasio limestone called pietra rosa di Assisi. Well, it's true that that town owes much of its character to this limestone, but it might equally well be called pietra rosa di Spello: the mountain lies between the two and Spello has made good use as well of the subtle contrasts of pink and white.

Here's a little cutaway on the first slopes of the mountain between Spello and Collepino. I haven't decided whether this was a quarry or not:


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Page updated: 31 May 03