Stefano Boeri's is just one of the voices of architects and designers who have joined the campaign in recent months in support of the objectives of PNA (Pietra Naturale Autentica). The network brings together the companies that dig and process natural stones and has as its sole objective the dissemination of information on the qualities and real potential of authentic stones. PNA's slogan is No Fakes, Natural Stone Is Better. An invitation to deepen the culture of materials, to discover their importance in an ethical and sustainable approach to contemporary design and its emerging themes. In this context, Stefano Boeri recalls the work for the Casa del mare on the island of La Maddalena in Sardinia and for the Matera railway station. For the Casa del Mare, the combination of different natural stones, local and non-local, prevailed, worked in thin slabs to simplify maintenance operations. But the result is also surprising from an aesthetic point of view due to the variety of textures and colors of the surfaces. Even more fascinating is the Matera station, a project in which limestone, integrated with steel, made it possible to create an underground construction that mentions the local primitive architecture.

The voice of Boeri is flanked by that of Setsu Ito, who a few years ago created an installation entitled Stone Forest for Marmomac. Its link with natural materials is strongly influenced by Japanese roots. Ito speaks of stone as a vehicle of life, a strong and expressive presence capable of dialoguing with all the other elements and of relaunching not only the aesthetic but also the symbolic aspect of the project. Building with living materials gives a different meaning to the concept of living. And knowing the qualities of these materials, also thanks to the collaboration with those who dig and work them, means knowing how to master every part of the project with competence.