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Ancient and modern
Travertine has been quarried in Tivoli since the third century BCE; the stone itself is more than 100,000 years old. It is the instantly recognisable material from which the architecture of a city and an empire was fashioned — from the Colosseum and Porta Maggiore in Rome, to provincial temples, villas and aqueducts. And yet, stacked up in blocks and slabs, the impression remains one of unequivocal modernity.
![](https://www.johnpawson.com/assets/Journal/2023/06-June/Travertine/230523_JP_Journal_FM_Tivoli_01.jpg)
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Photography
Francisco Marques