Page 228 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SUMMER 2024 LIMA

Whatever the chosen mode of travel, going to
Europe always brings memorable moments, sig‐
nificant and not-so, but it’s the little discoveries
that have endured the longest with me and my
fiancé and traveling companion, Maria Ve‐
lasquez.
For example, what is alabaster and where
does it come from?
We had no idea of either answer until a char‐
ter bus excursion took us from where Quest was
docked in the Italian seaport of Livorno, some 50
miles distant, and we motored into the Tuscan
hinterlands to an 8th-century mountainous hide‐
away known as Volterra.
There, we were leisurely escorted by foot to a
working alabaster factory that crafts the soft,
chalky mineral mined from nearby quarries into
all manner of cream-colored chandeliers, arti‐
facts and sculptures, said to be the finest in Eu‐
rope and beyond.
Founded more than a century ago, the fam‐
ily-owned Rossi Albastri is the kind of tucked-
away artisan’s workshop that might be easily
missed, hidden as it is behind a weathered
wooden door and hardly any sign of the Old
World artistry that lies beyond.
Within a few steps, we became immersed in a
timeless realm as we came upon a true artisan
who happens to be a direct descendant of the
founders.
Charming with his Italian-inflected English
and clearly proud of his craft, Sr. Rossi appeared
to be in his 80s and no worse for wear despite
working in thick clouds of alabaster dust emitted
from an archaic lathe that dated back to the
shop’s earliest days.
No mask, no protective eyewear? No problem
for the maestro.
Browsing in tight quarters ringed by gleaming
objets d’art priced well into thousands of Euros, I
was so impressed with his handiwork that I was
tempted to splurge. That is until I realized that
none of them would make the trip back to the
homeland in one piece.
Instead, I bought a soap dish.

228 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SUMMER 2024