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61-593: No Cav is an Italian protest movement that arose in the early 21st century, criticising the Carrara marble and carbonate quarries in the Apuan Alps . The phrase No Cav , short for "No Cave" (No Quarries, in Italian), was used for the first time in an article from Il Tirreno in 2014 to define the activists who had taken part in a demonstration organized by Salviamo le Apuane ( Save Apuan Alps ). The No Cav flag

122-535: A New York Times article of 1894, workers in the marble quarries were among the most neglected labourers in Italy. Many of them were ex-convicts or fugitives from justice. The work at the quarries was so tough and arduous that almost any aspirant worker with sufficient muscle and endurance was employed, regardless of their background. The quarry workers and stone carvers had radical beliefs that set them apart from others. Anarchism and general radicalism became part of

183-698: A counter demonstration in support of the quarries organized by Confindustria. In September 2021, the association Salviamo le Apuane presented to the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights an extensive dossier on the Apuan situation, written with the help of the Wageningen University researcher Chiara Macchi. At the beginning of 2022, the Council of State rejected the appeal of many marble companies against

244-414: A document entitled "Manifesto per le Alpi Apuane" ( Apuan Alps Manifesto ), in which they argued and detailed a green economic transition plan that would lead the Apuan territory to free itself from the marble supply chain, focusing on the defense of the environment and landscape, tourism and agroforestry productions. As a matter of fact, there are already valuable agricultural and gastronomic productions of

305-469: A historical-archaeological and tourist point of view. Another quarry of certainly ancient origin is the so-called Cava Romana di Forno ( "Forno Roman Quarry "), subject of a legal dispute for environmental violations and whose environmental licence was not renewed in 2017. The peak of celebrity of Carrara marble occurred in the Renaissance as it was used by Michelangelo , who used to personally choose

366-718: A party, Europa Verde ( Green Europe ), led by Eros Tetti, includes in its program the closure of the quarries falling within the Regional Natural Park of the Apuan Alps. The Apuan Alps stone quarries were probably already used since the Iron Age by the Ligurians of Ameglia , but the actual mining activity developed from the Roman era , and experienced the greatest development under Julius Caesar (48-44 BC). Of

427-643: A protected territory, which is part of the European network Natura 2000 and includes areas classified as Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas , Special Protection Areas, Special Areas of Conservation , Sites of Community Importance, WWF Oasis, LIPU Oasis and where there is an active project for the protection of the wolf in collaboration with the National Park of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines . The mining activities subtract water from

488-541: A pure white marble (coloring in other marbles arises from intermixture with other minerals present in the limestone as it is converted to marble by heat or pressure). However, by the end of the 20th century, the known deposits of statuario near Carrara were played out. The quarries continue to remove and ship up to a million tons/year of less-esteemed marble, mostly for export. This is predominantly streaked with black or grey. Bianco Carrara classified in C and CD variations as well as Bianco Venatino and Statuarietto are by far

549-457: A serious threat to Apuan geodiversity and the karst activities present, which are particularly represented and significant in this mountain range. Numerous cavities fall within the quarry area, despite the fact that they are protected, and many times they have been intercepted and damaged by mining activities, or filled with debris. Even the Antro del Corchia, Italy's largest karstic cave and one of

610-643: Is a stylized black and white representation of the Vara viaduct of the Carrara Private Marble Railway crossed by a large red X, above which are the words "NO CAV", also in red, on a white background. This symbol, whose graphic design recalls that of the Italian No TAV movement, first appeared in 2020, during an event organized by the environmentalist Gianluca Briccolani, who the following year, with Claudio Grandi and others, founded

671-446: Is a supporter of a wholesale reform of employment contracts, which would entail that – as far as all newly hired employees are concerned – short-term and project-based employment contracts would be abolished. Employment agreements without a term would become the normal form of recruitment, which would have a trial period of six months and a system of increasing protection during the course of the employment relationship. He has also proposed

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732-464: Is strongly polluting also by mechanical action: it fills the interstices and waterproofs the surfaces eliminating the habitats of many species, modifies the processes of groundwater supply, speeds up the surface flow of water, infiltrates the karst network modifying the paths of groundwater up to cause the drying up or the deterioration of the sources. The effect of quarries on local aquifer reserves results in significant economic and environmental damage to

793-690: The Dionysos Theater of the Acropolis in Athens . Pietro Ichino Born in Milan , he is brother of the economist Andrea Ichino . He has been married since 1973 to Costanza Rossi, with whom he has had two daughters. After graduating in law , he was a trade union leader, from 1969 to 1972, of the Fiom – Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL) trade union . After his military service, he

854-570: The International Union of Geological Sciences as a Global Heritage Stone Resource . Calcite , obtained from an 80 kg sample of Carrara marble, is used as the IAEA -603 isotopic standard in mass spectrometry for the calibration of δ O and δ C. The black yeast Micrococcus halobius can colonize Carrara marble by forming a biofilm and producing gluconic , lactic , pyruvic and succinic acids from glucose , as seen in

915-678: The Monti's electoral coalition in the Lombardy constituency. Among the reasons given for this decision, he cited the underlying ambiguity of the Democratic Party's stance towards the European Union. In 2013 he was elected Senator as member of Civic Choice , but in 2015 left the party to return to the Democratic Party. Pietro Ichino has been living for some years now under police protection because of threats that some members of

976-764: The Po and the Ticino by boat. Starting from the 16th century, Genoese stonecutters-merchants also entered this flourishing trade. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the marble quarries were monitored by the Cybo and Malaspina families who ruled over the Duchy of Massa and Carrara . The family created the "Office of Marble" in 1564 to regulate the marble mining industry. The city of Massa , in particular, saw much of its plan redesigned (new roads, plazas, intersections, pavings) in order to make it worthy of an Italian country's capital. Following

1037-459: The University of Cagliari . Since 1991 he has been Full Professor of Labor Law at University of Milan ( Università Statale di Milano ). In 1985 he was appointed coordinator of the "Italian Journal of Labor Law," of which he has been deputy editor since 1991 and editor in chief since 2002. Since 2003 he has been a member of the executive board of the law journal "Civil Justice". On 2 June 2006,

1098-610: The "Assemblea Permanente Carrara" ( Carrara Permanent Assembly ) was born. The activists occupied the town hall for two months. This group fights for the environmental protection of the Carrara territory and sometimes expressed very critical positions towards the quarries. In 2015, Tommaso Fattori entered the Tuscan Regional Council with the list "Sì Toscana a Sinistra" ( Yes Tuscany to the Left ), contributing to keep up

1159-554: The Apuan Alps in the last decades of the 20th century, the current environmental conflict and the current No Cav movement would have developed. According to the Italian Atlas of Environmental Conflicts , part of the Environmental Justice Atlas , this "proactive conflict in favor of sustainable alternatives" would have originated in 2009, the year in which Salviamo le Apuane, founded by Eros Tetti, launched

1220-471: The Apuan Alps, among which the wine production, in particular the Candia dei Colli Apuani, which could be promoted and strengthened. The Europa Verde party led by Eros Tetti, which aims to close the quarries falling within the Regional Natural Park of the Apuan Alps, in 2020 proposed an abrogative referendum regarding the regional regulations more favorable to quarries. In 2020, a petition was also started for

1281-414: The Apuan territory, according to a study published in 2019 in the journal Water. Finally, in terms of hydrogeological instability, "ravaneti" (mounds of debris), particularly recent ones, represent areas at high risk. According to some commentators, the conspicuous removal of materials from mountains and the modification of their orography , would also play a role in the worsening of the local climate and

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1342-534: The Apuane Libere ( Free Apuan Alps ) association. The flag and the word "No Cav" itself are neither used nor accepted by all groups of this movement and some of them prefer to use more specific definitions. The No Cav movement is classified by the Italian Atlas of Environmental Conflicts, part of the Environmental Justice Atlas , as a "proactive conflict in favor of sustainable alternatives". Over

1403-684: The Carrara Private Marble Railway and the Port of Carrara dates back to this period. This process continued in the twentieth century, with the construction of infrastructures such as the Balzone cableway, in 1907 and the branch for Arni of the Versilia tramway, inaugurated in 1923. In addition to those of marble , there were once also mines of manganese , mercury , iron , pyrite , magnesite , dolomite and yet more. In 2015

1464-484: The Club Alpino Italiano proposed the establishment of a Cultural Park of the Apuan Alps. Also in 2021, the association Apuane Libere was born. In July of the same year, the newborn association organized a big demonstration whose testimonial was Andrea Lanfri and in which 31 other associations participated. On that occasion there were scuffles at Passo Sella, where the demonstrators came into contact with

1525-740: The No Cav movement has at times supported other environmentalist initiatives and actions in defence of landforms not directly connected to the issue of the Apuan Alps. Campaigns in opposition to quarrying activity in the Apuan Alps have been ongoing for years, pursued by many and varied groups: Various Italian intellectuals and personalities have stood up in defence of the Apuan Alps. Among them are: Andrea Camilleri , Moni Ovadia , Salvatore Settis , Adriano Prosperi, Paolo Maddalena , Tomaso Montanari , Roberta De Monticelli, Maurizio Maggiani, Mario Perrotta, Alberto Asor Rosa, Paolo Cognetti (who has declared himself to be " truly dismayed, beyond being angry, at

1586-468: The No Cav positions include Vandana Shiva and Raúl Zibechi . On a political level, the inconvenient issue of closing down quarries has often been snubbed by parties, with some exceptions such as Partito della Rifondazione Comunista ( Communist Refoundation Party ), Potere al Popolo ( Power to the People Party ), and individual politicians, such as Pietro Ichino and Tommaso Fattori. Only in 2021

1647-622: The Red Brigades have explicitly addressed to him and due to the fact that two of his colleagues ( Massimo D'Antona and Marco Biagi ), who worked on the same subjects dealt with by Ichino, have been murdered by the New Red Brigades. “In Italy, whoever touches the Workers’ Statute dies.” This phrase was uttered by Ichino during his deposition at the trial of the New Red Brigades, in Milan on January 23, 2009 Professor Ichino

1708-554: The Romans, is a type of white or blue-grey marble popular for use in sculpture and building decor. It has been quarried since Roman times in the mountains just outside the city of Carrara in the province of Massa and Carrara in the Lunigiana , the northernmost tip of modern-day Tuscany , Italy. More marble has been extracted from the over 650 quarry sites near Carrara than from any other place. The pure white statuario grade

1769-453: The Tuscan regional council approved a plan for the "gradual closure of quarries", promoted by regional councillor Anna Marson, and then withdrawn following pressure from Confindustria . For the first time, the newspaper Il Tirreno used the word "No Cav" to define the activists who fought against the Apuan quarries. In the same year, following the umpteenth flood that hit the city of Carrara,

1830-650: The Venetian market, were able to create a dense commercial network, exporting the marble even to distant locations. Just to cite an example, starting from 1474, first the Maffioli, then the Buffa, supplied the marble for the facade of the Certosa di Pavia , also taking care of the transport of the material which, by ship, after having circumnavigated Italy, reached the construction site of the monastery after having sailed up

1891-402: The blocks to work on. Between the end of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries there was a rapid increase in quarries, which began to be concentrated in the hands of a few large concessionaires, and the "industrialization" of mining, which attracted a large number of workers from the mountain communities, moving them from traditional agro-pastoral occupations to mining ones. The construction of

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1952-597: The campaign slogans that have arisen from demonstrations, besides No Cav, there is "Basta Cave" (lit. Enough Quarries : Stop the Quarries ), "Giù le mani dalla montagna" ( Hands off the Mountain ), "Fermiamo la devastazione" ( Let's stop the Devastation ), "Help Apuan Alps", "Le cave uccidono il passato e il futuro" ( The quarries are killing the past and the future ), "Excavation devastation", and more. In addition,

2013-505: The case of severe thallium contamination of the aquifer, and consequently of the aqueduct, of Pietrasanta exploded due to the perite mines of Valdicastello, abandoned in the 1980s and never reclaimed. In the post-war period, particularly in the late one, the mining activity has grown dramatically in terms of material removed, according to the magazine Focus "in the last 20 years, more than two thousand years of history have been excavated here". However, according to Corriere della Sera ,

2074-547: The closure of the dolomite quarries in Forno (Massa) in the 1990s. At least since 2000 there have been appeals by environmentalist associations against the Apuan marble industry. In 2000, through a national law still valid today, it was decreed the establishment of the Parco Archeominerario delle Alpi Apuane ( Apuan Alps Archaeology and Mining Park ) to protect the ancient mining activity historical evidences from

2135-572: The condition of the Apuans "), Enzo Fileno Carabba , Angelo Baracca, Vittorio Emiliani, Edoardo Salzano, Pancho Pardiv, Alessandro Gogna , Claudio Lombardi , Alberto Magnaghi , Andrea Lanfriv (a main speaker at the large No Cav protest of 2021), and Rossano Ercolini . The cartoonist Sergio Staino made a cartoon on the subject. The No Cav campaign also finds supporters beyond Italian borders, especially in Germany. International personalities close to

2196-408: The current one, but its actual establishment has been suspended since 2006, despite the favorable opinions of local authorities In order to overcome the delays, in 2003 the Regional Natural Park of the Apuan Alps established the "Sistema museale di archeologia mineraria delle Alpi Apuane" ( Museum System of Mining Archaeology of the Apuan Alps ). From the experiences of struggle for the preservation of

2257-430: The destruction of the flora, the stripping of the soil and the profound modification of the environment and the original landscape. These activities insist on an area of great natural value, high biodiversity and geodiversity , recognized as a regional natural park and UNESCO World Geopark. The Apuan Alps contain about 50% of Tuscan biodiversity, including some endemics . Rare and relict species are also present among

2318-405: The establishment of a national park including the Apuan Alps or to merge them with the already existing and contiguous National Park of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines in order to ensure an increased protection of the mountain range. In the same year, the group Athamanta was born, which combines the experience of social centers to that of environmentalism. The first No Cav flags appeared. In 2021

2379-516: The extinction of the Cybo-Malaspina family, the state was ruled by the House of Austria-Este and management of the mines rested with them. Massa Cathedral is built entirely of Carrara marble and the old Ducal Palace of Massa was used to showcase the stone. By the end of the 19th century, Carrara had become a cradle of anarchism in Italy, in particular among the quarry workers. According to

2440-448: The first online mobilization, with a good response and a consequent growth and diffusion on the territory. In 2010, this movement presented an articulated plan called "PIPSEAA" ("Piano Programma di Sviluppo Economico Alternativo per le Apuane", Plan-Program for Alternative Economic Development of the Apuan Alps ) for a gradual economic transition of the territory that would allow it to get rid of marble without employment shocks. In 2014,

2501-550: The flora and fauna, including the rare alpine newt , threatened by the Valsora Quarry (area of herpetological relevance IT130TOS003 recognized by the Societas Herpetologica Italica) and the possible reopening of Crespina Quarry II, at the foot of Mt. Sagro , and endangered species like wolf and European wildcat . The industrial activity of the quarries interferes directly or indirectly with

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2562-635: The heritage of the stone carvers. Many violent revolutionists who had been expelled from Belgium and Switzerland went to Carrara in 1885 and founded the first anarchist group in Italy. In Carrara, the anarchist Galileo Palla remarked, "even the stones are anarchists." The quarry workers were the main actors of the Lunigiana revolt in January 1894. The Apuan Alps above Carrara show evidence of at least 650 quarry sites, with about half of them currently abandoned or worked out. The Carrara quarries have produced more marble than any other place on earth. Working

2623-659: The increase of extreme weather events . The health of the people in the Apuan basin is threatened by the deterioration of the quality of drinking water due to pollution from marmettola, which is contaminated with dangerous chemical compounds such as hydrocarbons and heavy metals . Another risk factor is the release of marble dust into the atmosphere, which, containing up to 5% silica , can cause pneumoconiosis , such as silicosis . Although trucks should be closed and/or loads kept wet to reduce dust dispersion, these requirements are often not met. Carrara marble Carrara marble , or Luna marble ( marmor lunense ) to

2684-472: The most common types with more expensive exotic variations such as Calacatta Gold, Calacatta Borghini, Calacatta Macchia Vecchia, Arabescato Cervaiole and Arabescato Vagli quarried throughout the Carrara area. Bardiglio has more black, and has been used since Roman times for architectural facings and floors. The marble from Carrara was used for some of the most remarkable buildings in Ancient Rome : It

2745-571: The most important caves in Europe, is said to have suffered damage from nearby quarries. In the Apuan Alps there is also the largest water reserve in Tuscany, put at risk by the mining activity due to its direct use, to the discharge of debris, waste and marmettola, which occlude watercourses and springs and the modification of the karst network. Moreover, the "marmettola" (marble slurry), besides being chemically contaminated by hydrocarbons and metals,

2806-403: The mountain environment and groundwater in considerable quantities. Other relevant impacts are the dispersion of dust into the atmosphere, noise and the abandonment of waste at high altitudes. Stone companies have also been accused by environmentalists of greenwashing . The Apuan quarries are a serious threat to the habitats and to the naturalistic heritage of the mountain range as they cause

2867-456: The new "Extraction Plan of the Region of Tuscany", stating that it is the right and duty of the region to protect the environment, especially of a " unicum " like the Apuan Alps, even by limiting the freedom of economic initiative. Extractive activity has a negative impact on aquifers due to pollution of soil and surface and groundwater, with both environmental and public health implications for

2928-566: The number of people directly employed in the quarries went from 16,000 in the 1950s to about 1,000 today. In 1985, following a petition started many years before and the proposal of a popular initiative law in 1978, the Tuscan Region established the Regional Natural Park of the Apuan Alps. In 1997, with the Regional Law 65/1997, it was reduced the perimeter from about 54,000 hectares to the current 20,598 hectares, in order to protect

2989-505: The oldest quarries distributed in the Torano, Miseglia and Colonnata basins, not much remains, since the mining activity which continued over the centuries has caused their progressive destruction. In this way, ancient quarries such as that of Polvaccio and Mandria (Torano) and Canalgrande (Miseglia) have been lost. On the other hand, the quarries of La Tagliata (Miseglia) and Fossacava (Colonnata) are still intact, although poorly valued from

3050-454: The populations that are supplied with it. Marmettola, marble dust mixed with oils and sludge from quarrying, should be disposed of as special waste, but is often not properly managed and ends up dispersed in large quantities, constituting a serious environmental pollution problem. Due to the high mechanization and industrialization of the mining processes, other pollutants such as heavy metals and, especially, hydrocarbons are dispersed into

3111-456: The presence of marble quarries, reclassified as "area contigua" ( contiguous area ). Due to this reclassification, in 2021 the Council of State rejected the appeal of environmental associations against the reopening of quarries in these areas, unless they overlap with protection areas such as SCI , SRI or SPA . Already in the 1980s, however, there were environmentalist struggles that led to

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3172-687: The president of the Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi awarded him the title of "commendatore" for the contribution given by his studies and teaching. He participated in the foundation of the Democratic Party and, as a candidate of this party, he was elected to the Italian Senate in 2008. On December 24, 2012, after having decided not to run in the Democratic Party primaries for the selection of the 2013 General Election candidates, he announced his decision to run for

3233-491: The pressure on marble quarries, also through the presentation of numerous amendments to regional laws. In 2016, a group of associations called "Coordinamento Apuano" ( Apuan Coordination ) composed by: Legambiente, Salviamo le Apuane, WWF, Club Alpino Italiano, Fondo Ambiente Italiano, Italia Nostra, Rete dei comitati per la difesa del territorio, Società dei Territorialisti , Unione Italiana Sport Per tutti, Federparchi, Società Speleologica Toscana, Amici delle Alpi Apuane, signed

3294-498: The quarries is and has always been dangerous. In September 1911, a collapsing cliff face at the Bettogli Quarry crushed 10 workers who were on lunch break under a precipice. A 2014 video made at a Carrara quarry shows workers with missing fingers, and workers performing hazardous, painfully noisy work who are not wearing protective gear of any kind. The prize yield from Carrara quarries through millennia has been statuario ,

3355-504: The sources, while the marmettola (very fine marble dust), produced by them in large quantities, deposits on the bed of the watercourses, destroys microsystems and represents a serious risk for the existence of some animal species. Moreover, it penetrates into the karst network, modifying the quality of groundwater and favoring the presence of epigean species, which threaten the more fragile hypogean ones. The Apuan Alps have been recognized as an UNESCO World Geopark. Therefore, quarries are also

3416-632: The time of Ancient Rome , when it was called marmor lunense , or "Luni marble". In the Middle Ages, most of the quarries were owned by the Marquis Malaspina who in turn rented them to families of Carrara masters who managed both the extraction and transport of the precious material. Some of them, such as the Maffioli, who rented some quarries north of Carrara, in the Torano area, or, around 1490, Giovanni Pietro Buffa, who bought marble on credit from local quarrymen and then resold it on

3477-657: The years, environmentalists have managed to develop in civil society a widespread movement of opinion sensitive to the theme of safeguarding the Apuan Alps. The methods of opposition used by No Cav activists include demonstrations, marches, flash mobs , appeals, petitions , demonstrative actions (such as the one at the Giro d'Italia 2021 or on the summit of Mont Blanc ), roadblocks , lawsuits, political initiatives (at local, regional, national, European and international level), public information, pressure on companies, preparation of independent documents, and media activism . Among

3538-573: Was Head of Legal Services of the Labor Chamber of Milan from 1973 to 1979. He has said that it was his meeting with Don Lorenzo Milani that made him decide to study law and to commit himself to the trade union movement. Since 1970 has been a journalist and since 1997 he has been a columnist for the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera . From April 1998 to March 1999, he collaborated with the then Communist Party newspaper “l'Unità”. In 1975 he

3599-742: Was admitted to the Milan Bar. It was during the VIII Legislature of the Italian Republic , from 1979 to 1983, that he was elected as an independent left-wing MP belonging to the ranks of the Italian Communist Party . He was a Researcher from 1983 to 1986 in the University of Milan ( Università statale di Milano ). Subsequently, he became an Associate (1986–1989) and Full (1989–1991) Professor of Labor Law at

3660-516: Was also used in many sculptures of the Renaissance including Michelangelo 's David (1501–1504) whilst the statue to Robert Burns , which commands a central position in Dumfries , was carved in Carrara by Italian craftsmen working to Amelia Robertson Hill 's model. It was unveiled by future UK Prime Minister Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery on 6 April 1882. Other notable occurrences include: Carrara marble has been designated by

3721-411: Was used for monumental sculpture , as "it has a high tensile strength, can take a high gloss polish and holds very fine detail". By the late 20th century Carrara's highest-grade marble had run out; the considerable ongoing production is of stone with a greyish tint, or streaks of black or grey on white. This is still attractive as an architectural facing, or for tiles. Carrara marble has been used since

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