Every project implemented by Vaselli-Spirito Pietra is based on natural stone and on concepts conceived for a wide array of applications including interior furnishing elements, swimming pools, fireplaces, flooring and wall coverings, sculptures or diverse expressions of abstract art.
Vaselli-Spirito Pietra is the ideal partner for architects, designers, sculptors and diverse types of direct customers. It meticulously selects the materials suited for each project because it knows the secrets and intrinsic features of stone and can count on its in-depth expertise and utmost care in the work processes in order to provide utterly unique products.
This excellence can also be seen in the projects pertaining to swimming pools and gardens where the Vaselli team have worked alongside architects and building companies. A case in point is the circular swimming pool ideally immersed in the Tuscan hills in the province of Arezzo. Only one single area was available for the swimming pool and this prerequisite called for a par-ticular shape that would integrate the pool perfectly into the natural environment and scenery.
Travertino Becagli – crafted in the Vaselli workshop at Rapolano Terme where the company is based – was used for the tiling, the steps incorporated in the pool, and the seating around the edge. This type of travertine is native to the area and has been extracted in the quarries nearby since the time of the Etruscans and Vaselli can boast the expertise needed to craft it to perfection thanks to the artisan skills handed down from generation to generation. For this par-ticular project special attention was focused on different types of surface finishes for the inside of the pool as well as the part outside the water.
“The external part involving the seating and paving at the pool entry underwent a ‘martellatura’, or hammering process, and subsequently coated without the application of stucco on the pores of the travertine. This way the surface retains a natural appearance, becomes slip resistant, and feels pleasant when in contact with the skin” - says Danilo Vaselli who runs the company together with his sister Cinzia and brother David - “All the sharp edges have been rounded in a somewhat rough way so as to enhance the contours of each ‘concio’ or block and highlight the joins”.
The stone installed inside the pool for the paving and steps was treated with a special patina finish and subsequently stuccoed, making it pleasant to the touch, slip resistant, and at the same time easy to clean and functional in terms of use.
“Travertino Becagli – continues Danilo Vaselli – is not only weather resistant, and thus suited for outdoor use, but it also provides unique colour features that make it different to all other types of travertine”.
The veins, colour variations, and pitted surface with pores and holes are the result of na-ture’s effect on the stone for thousands of years, which Vaselli then enhances to paramount precision in its products and processes.
“Our production is mainly focused on "custom-made” products – concludes Vaselli – resulting from highly advanced processing methods combined with an extensive amount of manual finishing that only highly skilled artisans are able to accomplish”. All the stone elements used for this project were curve cut according to design in our work-shop in Rapolano and then individually numbered. This process ensured precision-cut pieces and consequently a quick and trouble-free installation.
