Italy · Limestone

Perlato Sicilia

also known as Perlato di Sicilia, Perlato Svevo

A warm cream limestone from Sicily distinguished by scattered fossil shells, coral fragments and marine organisms that give the surface its organic, characterful pattern. Dense and quarried at scale, it has clad Italian civic buildings and luxury hotels for decades.

Origin: Custonaci / Erice quarries, Trapani province, Sicily, South-central Sicily, Italy
Stone type: Limestone (ASTM C568 (limestone))
Density: 2.65 g/cm³
Look: fossil-rich, warm, organic pattern, natural
Finishes: polished, honed, sandblasted
Formats: slab, tile, cut-to-size, pavers
Exterior use: Suitable — dense, exterior-grade
Est. yield / waste: ~12% indicative (fossil-rich lots may show colour drift between blocks)
US import (HTS): 6802.92.00.00 (other calcareous stone, worked building stone)

Type-level physical facts shown. Per-lot lab values (absorption, flexural strength) confirmed at quotation.

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Produced by Brescia Stone Group · Botticino, Brescia (Lombardy)

Origin & quarry

Perlato Sicilia is quarried in the Trapani province at the north-west corner of Sicily, around Custonaci, a district supplying decorative limestone since Roman times. The fossil-rich beds formed in a shallow Cretaceous sea; the compressed organisms are the stone's visual fingerprint. Output is large-scale and consistent, making it a standard specification in Italian airports, hotel lobbies and public buildings, with strong export to Gulf hospitality projects.

Geology. Dense Cretaceous limestone (Urgonian facies) with abundant colonial corals, rudist bivalves, gastropods and echinoid fragments. The bioclastic matrix gives each slab its warm ivory-cream ground with scattered organic inclusions.

Where it works

Specify with confidence

Hotel lobbies and public halls (fossil pattern adds warmth and character)
Interior floors and wall cladding at institutional scale
Exterior cladding and pavers in sheltered environments (dense grade)
Feature walls where an organic, fossil-textured surface is the design intent

Use with care

Avoid highly acidic cleaning products: etches the fossil matrix
Outdoor freeze-thaw: specify dense, low-absorption lots; confirm lab values
Large uniform installations: grade and block to avoid colour drift between lots

Verified sources

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Trapani quarry group

Quarry-direct · Custonaci, Trapani, Sicily · Italy

Lithos‑verified 5/5

Quarry-direct or verified processor
Physical samples available
Technical specs documented
Photos verified at source
Export-ready for US trade

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Sicilian cut-to-size processor

Verified processor · Sicily · Italy

Lithos‑verified 3/5

Quarry-direct or verified processor
Physical samples available
Technical specs documented
Photos verified at source
Export-ready for US trade

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Reference projects

Italian airport terminals

Airport · Sicily and mainland Italy · Various

Perlato Sicilia is a standard airport floor specification across major Italian terminals, sourced from large-volume Custonaci production.

Gulf hospitality programmes

Hotel and resort interior · UAE and Gulf states · 1990s-present

Sicilian limestone including Perlato Sicilia has been exported at scale to Gulf hotel and resort interiors for its consistent warm ivory tone.

Good to know

What gives Perlato Sicilia its distinctive pattern?

The stone formed on an ancient seabed: compressed shells, coral and marine organisms are visible throughout the cream limestone matrix, creating the natural fossil pattern that makes each slab unique.

Is Perlato Sicilia suitable for outdoor use?

Yes. It is a dense, low-absorption limestone appropriate for exterior cladding, pavers and hardscape in sheltered to moderate exposure environments.

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