The Apricena stone is a stone limestone of chemical sedimentary origin . Usually the stone benches in Apricena is layered thick between 30 and 500 cm. The orientation of the banks is usually directed along a line east-west, sloping southward from 5 ° to 20 °. 
Chemically the stone is made up of over 96% calcium carbonate with traces of iron oxides of , manganese, aluminum and others. is characterized by a specific gravity of 2.71 gr / cm ³ .
It is a key resource for the country's economy. Its quarries are located on the slopes of the Gargano, in the territory between Apricena Hvar and Poggio Imperial . The area of \u200b\u200bextraction of stone quarrying Apricena is the first pole of the South and the Italian national team after the second basin to Carrara. The production of stone Apricena, in fact, covers 90% of regional production and 20% of the national.
There are many varieties including various extracted:
- ondagata,
- silvabella,
- serpentine classic
- threaded
- red thread,
- toed,
- Perlatino,
- bronze,
- flowered
- mahogany, burl
- .
Once extracted, many laboratories in the stone reaches Italy and the world to be processed.
This material is greatly appreciated, 
accurate as laboratory tests have shown that the strength and length put him at higher levels in the industry. [1]
is a material with shades ranging from beige, ivory and pink (depending on the variety), with frequent veins most often subtle and sinuous, characterize the surface. The production of cava is divided into blocks of stone, with a maximum size 315 cm length, 170 cm in width and height which varies according to the flap. The flaps may have a size ranging from 50 cm to 400 cm. The flaps are usually separated from each other by a thin layer of clay it has meant in past geological eras sedimentation in shallow marine.
order to export the stone blocks, there are several techniques, including puncture with many holes to use of ' explosive, commonly detonating, or, cut with the help of special cutting saws. Once this is done, are dropped with special shovels. Rintagliate are then to make them take the form of a parallelepiped .
Use
An example of multiple uses that may have this material may be the church of Padre Pio to San Giovanni Rotondo, where the stone Apricena (in variety bronze) is used for most purposes varied (composition of the structure, flooring, decoration).
In the past, however, this material was also used for a variety of decorations of the palace of Caserta and in various buildings in Rome . A major use has also had the nearby town of Foggia : in the Carmelite church, the building of the Chamber of Commerce , The monument dedicated to Umberto Giordano , in the fountain in Piazza Vittorio Veneto and the nearest train station, destroyed in bombing during the Second World War . In the rest of the province you can meet many works made from this material: the fountain in the square more Serracapriola , the House for the Relief of Suffering and the facade of the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in San Giovanni Rotondo, the town hall of the same Apricena 
are just some examples.
Even abroad, however, the stone Apricena was largely successful in its different varieties: in various countries of the Middle East and 's Far East has used most of the meandering in Europe, especially Germany the Adriatic flowered, in the United States of America and Canada is required red Italy, in addition to winding and Adriatic flowers. Source
Wikipedia.it
