The History of Marmorino

Besides, marmorino and substrates made of "coccio pesto" resisted the ambient dampness of the lagoon better than almost any other plaster. The first because it is extremely breathable by virtue of the kind of lime used (the only lime which sets on exposure to air after loosing excess water) and the second, because it contains terracotta which when added to lime makes the mixture hydraulic, that is, it's effective even in very damp conditions (because it contains silica and aluminium, bases of modern cement and hydraulic lime preparations). The second consideration is that an aesthetically pleasing result could be achieved in an era dominated by the return of a classical Greco-Roman style allowing less weight to be transmitted to the foundation when compared to the habit of covering facades with slabs of stone.
Usually, marmorino was white to imitate the stone of Istria, which was most often used in Venetian construction, but was occasionally decorated with frescoes to imitate the marble, which Venetian merchants brought home from their voyages to the Orient. (In this fascinating period of the Republic of Venice, merchants felt obliged to return home bearing precious, exotic marble as a tribute to the beauty of their own city.)

Marmorino maintained its prestige for centuries until the end of the 1800’s when interest in it faded and was considered only an economical solution to the use of marble. Only at the end of the 1970’s, thanks in part to the architect, Carlo Scarpa’s use of marmorino, did this finishing technique return to the interest of the best modern architects.

For about 10 years, industries were also interested in marmorino which was only by produced by artisans. Today, however, ready-to-use marmorino can be found, often with glue added to allow them to be applied on non-traditional surfaces such as drywall or wood panelling.