It is particularly significant that on the occasion of the quincentenary of Andrea Palladio's birth, an important Vicentine productive partnership celebrates this great architect with an exhibition devoted to his stone works which presents in a contemporary way some Palladian works of art. Few were as influential as Palladio over the centuries and his success was a result of the extraordinary aesthetic quality of villas, luxurious buildings and churches. But we shouldn't forget that he moved the first steps as a stonecutter in Padua when he was 13, in the workshop of Bartolomeo Cavazza. Then he fled to the nearby town of Vicenza where he became an assistant in the leading workshop of stonecutters and masons Giacomo da Porlezza e Girolamo Pittoni, known as "i compagni di Pedemuro". Palladio has never disregarded his former apprenticeship as a stonecutter and has always designed personally the stone details of his buildings, such as column bases and capitals, door and window frames, wash-stands and fireplaces.
For this reason, the exhibition mounted by the Consorzio Marmisti di Chiampo symbolizes the dynamic interaction between the world of architecture and the craftsmen which has been characterizing our region for five centuries through the impressive production of art and craft works. The wonderful fireplace in the Sala della Pace of Palazzo Barbaran da Porto in Vicenza and the wash-stand of the refectory of S. Giorgio in Venice, reinterpreted through contemporary eyes, make us conscious of the modernity and vitality of Palladio’s legacy. This kind of initiatives are really important as they demonstrate how the celebrations for the 500th Palladio's birth represent the expression of the legitimate pride of a region which gave birth to one of the major representatives of the worldwide cultural scene. It is also a good opportunity to reaffirm that this historical background of excellence is the starting point of our contemporary work.
The 500th anniversary of the birth of Andrea Palladio prompted the group to study a project inspired by the production of the most well renowned "Stone cutter" in the world. The age-old art and skill of stone-working boasted by the marble workers of Valle del Chiampo and the high standards of applied technology reached have helped pave the way towards stone design, a path pursued for some time now. Research, originality and creativity, which have always been the hallmarks of the Chiampo marble workers' craft, together with the involvement of the designer Raffaello Galiotto, have created an extraordinary working relationship. Studying the lines associated with Palladio and reprocessing them, the designer has managed to create a collection of works in marble, stone and granite of contemporary design, offering a new demanding challenge for our technical and productive skills, giving life to a new industrial philosophy. The combination of the experience of the marble workers of Valle del Chiampo and the use of advanced instruments and technologies has helped make the "Palladio and lithic design" project a reality. The elements making up the "Palladio and lithic design" exhibition create an extremely varied collection, in terms of working method and selection of materials, an authentic expression of the degree of versatility and skill enjoyed by the companies involved in production.
By concentrating on design, technological innovation, eco-compatibility and the combination of materials and their functions, highly ambitious objectives have been achieved. The study of the materials used has played a fundamental role in this project. It is fascinating and moving to discover how the great architect Andrea Palladio is still able to inspire our modern ways. That is why this research has been for us a means of "re-appropriating" part of our history and contributing to its development.