SORSO, Sardinia — In a workshop powdered with marble dust, Giuseppe Sanna bends over a dark pebble, engraving pen in hand. He makes the miniature versions of the marble rock marking the Costa Smeralda and the trophy for its literary prize, now in its seventh edition.
Sanna grew up in his father’s stone business, among marble, granite, and local stone, and now leads the family workshop, L’Arte in Pietra. Alongside commissions, he turns out washbasins, vessels, and engraved stones. For the literary prize he chose essential forms in Sardinian stone on a crystal base, a nod to the sea.
His keepsake arrives as the Costa Smeralda raises its profile, having signed up with Capri, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Courmayeur, and Madonna di Campiglio to the Territori di Eccellenza alliance of Italy’s leading holiday destinations. Italy Now spoke to Sanna about inheritance, stone, and leaving a mark.
Sanna sculptures (Credits: Sanna workshop)
Q. What led you to the work you do today?
“This craft was handed down to me by my father. As a child I spent as much time as I could in his workshop, watching him work and playing with little pieces of stone. I practically grew up in there and, without realising it, a game became my trade. Over the years I learned to know stone and to understand that behind every piece there can be a different idea. I carry on what my father taught me, adding my own creativity, new technologies, and the urge to experiment.”
Q. What do you hope your work says to the people who own it or see it?
“I like the idea of being remembered, of leaving a mark through what I do. Stone, more than any other material, can do that. It stays, it resists, and it tells. Stones tell of a life, a moment, a person, or simply an idea. When I make something, I like to think it will leave a trace after I am gone. Not just something beautiful to look at, but something with meaning that lasts.”
Q. What is the most unexpected commission you have received?
“The reproduction of the iconic Costa Smeralda stone. It was not simply about working stone, but about recreating something that has become a true symbol of that land. It brought together the craft and the creative sides of my work. The requests that seem out of the ordinary are the ones that stimulate me most, when you are not just executing a job but finding a way to turn an idea into something concrete.”
Q. What was the biggest step in making the business your own?
“The generational handover. Taking over a business my father had built was not easy. There was the responsibility of carrying on what he created and everything he taught me, and the need to find my own path and give the work its own identity. There were difficulties and some doubts, but today I see it as one of the most important stages of my working life. I keep alive the roots he gave me, adding my own vision and a desire to look to the future.”
L’Arte in Pietra is based in Sorso, in the province of Sassari. Visits to the bottega (workshop) can be arranged through the Consorzio Costa Smeralda, part of the Territori di Eccellenza network.
