The Quarries of Brento Alta
Firenzuola stone quarries

Brento Alta
The Brento Alta quarry is located in the quarrying basin of Brento Sanico, in Firenzuola area, 800 meters above sea level. The quarry consists of mining claims which cover a 70.000 square meters area and a 25.000 square meters quarrying area; the annual digging amount is 40.000 cubic meters of which 8000 are ornamental Pietra Serena to be worked. The most advanced and sophisticated systems used in the quarrying activity, guarantee the best results in the digging, the highest safety standards, and the least environmental impact. Also, the organization system guarantees a constant supply even for large demands.

The Querrying Activity
The quarrying of Pietra Serena is organized in several steps. Open-pit quarries first require the removal of the upper layers of soil. Afterward, the useless upper bedrock is removed using excavation methods or explosive sticks. Once the valuable layer is uncovered, the next step is quarry cultivation. Some splitting machines perform cilindric holes then filled with detonating material and water. The extracted material is then unflawed, selected, and moved to the factory.

The waste matter is sent to a designated dump and later recycled for urban reclamations, dykes, riverbanks, containment works, stone chippings, and stabilizers. This delicate operation necessarily requires special vehicles and dump trucks.
