Picapreda Museum: The History of Stonecutters in Novate Mezzola

Here, the images, tools and voices of the picapréda—the stonecutters who shaped the destiny of the village—come back to life. For generations, men and entire families quarried and worked Sanfedelino granite, named after the first quarry, that opened beside the small shrine dedicated to Saint Fidelis, a martyr of 298 AD. From this compact grey stone grew a tradition that would leave its mark far beyond the lake.

Sanfedelino granite travelled far, becoming the paving material for streets and squares in cities such as Milan, Como, Pavia and Bologna. In the five years preceding the First World War alone, more than 82,000 tonnes departed from Novate station for major centres across Northern Italy. Every slab and every block carried the labour of tireless hands.

With the arrival of trams and the first automobiles, cities began to change: raised pavements and safer kerbs became necessary. Once again, Sanfedelino granite supported this transformation, becoming an integral part of urban modernity.

Between the 1920s and the mid-1930s, the quarries reached their peak: around twenty quarry sites, hundreds of workers and an entire community living to the rhythm of hammer striking stone. Then, slowly, decline followed. By the end of the 1960s, almost everything had fallen silent.

Today, only one quarry remains active, but the museum keeps the memory of that world alive. A visit reveals that these stones support more than roads—they support the history and soul of a community.