Lava stone extracted from the quarries on the slopes of Etna: that is what Nerosicilia is: a precious stone and a brand that has built its history around it. Nerosicilia, a company that draws its strength from the volcano, was born from the Sicilian land and this remarkable natural material.
Nerosicilia's story is one of passion for craftsmanship, deep expertise, and a constant drive for innovation. But above all, it is a story rooted in an intense and authentic connection with its land. In Sicily, home to the largest mosaic deposit in the world, someone chose, years ago, to revive the ancient art of mosaic. That someone was Biagio Amarù, managing director of a brand with great Sicilian entrepreneurial experience, for years serving the best mosaic brands.
His story is one of entrepreneurship, passion, and love for the land. Biagio Amarù is an ambitious visionary who dreams of redeeming "his Sicily" and is determined to do everything in his power to reveal the island's true identity, history, and culture. His connection to the land is ancestral, and his desire to find innovative solutions that best express the reality in which he lives is strong. Biagio Amarù began searching for new materials, designing projects rooted in Sicily, and solidifying a deep bond with the territory and its origins. This is how Nerosicilia was born.
"We have introduced a concept of industrial craftsmanship, i.e. the ability to produce both one-off and mass-produced pieces.
Biagio Amarù, CEO Nerosicilia
Hence the collaboration with two Sicilian art directors, Massimo Barbini and Giovanni Salerno and the choice to use Etna lava stone extracted from quarries in the Catania area.
From ancient lava to contemporary matter
Not just any material, but an ancient lava flow dating back to the 17th century, meticulously selected in blocks and transported to Comiso, where it is processed in special, patented ovens. This long, laborious process transforms the original grey lava into a new, exclusive material with multiple faces. The result is five distinct surfaces, each with its own shade: laNera, laRoccia, enneUno, enneDue, and enneTre, all complementing the original 'mother' version, laGrigia.
Nerosicilia has the density of Sicily and speaks to us of its colours, its scents and its strong and wild nature. Each collection translates and interprets the soul of the island and offers us new perspectives thanks to collaborations with various international companies and designers, from Piero Lissoni to the Jpeglab studio, from Cappellini to Boffi to Paola Lenti, who have been called upon to present new visions of style together with the artisans of Nerosicilia.
Natural materials, between art and design
Year after year, the story that Nerosicilia tells through lava stone grows richer, offering new contemporary inspirations. Shaping a natural material and transforming its strong personality into creations that straddle the line between art and design is a bold and innovative choice and one that has proven to be a success.
It is the details that make the difference and speak for themselves: recycled glass, sourced from computer and TV monitors, creates unique decorations and blends with lava to produce a variety of color shades. The different cuts of the sheets result in unexpected compositional graphics. Like those designed by Piero Lissoni, who with his Palazzo collection evokes traditional wood and marmette floors in a new stylistic language and transforms classical styles into a kind of precious lava filigree. O iRicami by the Jpeglab studio, where lace and intricate patterns create sensual and iridescent surfaces. In the hands of Paola Lenti, however, lava is transformed into a large, elegant canvas for her creative vision, Origami an unusual floor that decorates itself thanks to the incursions of oxidised lava and the vibrant tones of the heterogeneous slabs.
Soul and aesthetic charge
The creative potential of Nerosicilia is limitless and the results are clear for all to see: extraordinary surfaces that combine a strong aesthetic appeal with unquestionable technical performance. This is certainly due to the high quality and stylistic versatility of lava stone.
But it is above all the soul of this material that brings true value to the collections. The very name Nerosicilia is a clear connection to the land and to a volcano recognized worldwide as a UNESCO heritage site. "Black as freshly cooled lava, Sicily as the source from which everything originates," Amarù proudly explains.
What can be achieved with Etna lava stone cannot be replicated with other lava stones. This is what makes Nerosicilia's product truly unique, completely Made in Italy, or rather, Made in Sicily, that has successfully crossed national borders and reached overseas markets. An outstanding example? One of the first lava stone facades in New York was crafted by Nerosicilia.
