From Quarries to Urban Construction Sites: Middle‐Late Mesozoic Limestones in the Public Architecture of Roman Verona, Italy

Numerous buildings, monuments, and infrastructural works in Verona were constructed during the Roman period using stone, a material abundantly available from quarrying areas located relatively close to the city. Petrographic investigations conducted by Transmitted Polarized Light Optical Microscopy (TPL‐OM) and complemented by colorimetric analysis on over 30 samples collected from urban buildings revealed a predominance of Middle‐Late Mesozoic (MLM) local limestones, specifically Rosso Ammonitico Veronese (RAV), Maiolica, and Scaglia Rossa. These materials outcrop in the nearby Valpolicella and Valpantena areas, located approximately 20 and 12 km from the city, respectively. The widespread use of these MLM limestones in Verona from the late first century BC is particularly notable, as they were predominantly employed for the monumentalization of the city. These materials were commonly used in large ashlars, paving slabs, and decorative architectural elements. Rosso Ammonitico, in particular, was especially prized for its marble‐like appearance, hardness, and durability. MLM limestones gradually replaced the local Eocene calcarenites (Pietra di Avesa, Pietra Galina, and Marne di Priabona) and Miocene calcarenites, as well as the imported Oligocene limestones from Berici Hills and Eastern Lessini (Pietra di Vicenza), which had been used in the earlier phases of Verona's architecture. Although these stones were more easily sourced and workable, they were characterized by lower mechanical performances (e.g., resistance to mechanical compression). The adoption of MLM limestones reflects deliberate construction and economic choices, indicating both a preference for more resistant materials and the city's increasing capacity to invest in costlier resources during the Imperial period. This study investigates the stone extraction and processing cycle of these limestones, aiming to identify their quarrying areas, transportation routes, and architectural applications in Roman‐era Verona.