In this article, we want to talk about a work we recently had the honor of working on. “Tribute to the Dignity of Man,” a solemn, clean, majestic, and meaningful monument.
Micci Pietre for Brunello Cucinelli
You certainly already know the Italian entrepreneur and designer Brunello Cucinelli, founder of the company of the same name. What might make you wonder is, “What unites Micci Pietre with Cucinelli?”
Before embarking on this journey destined for the creation of the work, we had the opportunity to learn more about the company’s history, its mission, and its production philosophy. We incredibly discovered that, even though our two worlds are so distant (stone processing, on one side, and cashmere, on the other), there are many affinities between our companies.
Certainly, at the center of our work is man, understood as the necessary and indispensable person for the creation of the artifact. Invention, design, and realization, if not accompanied by human creativity, manual skill, and craftsmanship, will never generate a product of great quality. Beautiful and unique Made in Italy artisanal products build their being from man because, in agreement with Cucinelli’s statement, we believe: “that there can be no quality without humanity.”
The Idea Behind the Monument
The monument concluded a broader project started by Brunello Cucinelli in 2010 (“amiable periphery“) with the aim of enhancing the valley where the village in which his company was born and still resides today stands: Solomeo.
After creating the Industry Park, which houses the new company headquarters, and the Oratory Park, the initiative concludes with the Agricultural Park—an extension intended for vegetable gardens, vineyards, olive groves, and orchards—and the Dignity Park, a monument born from the desire to pass down the company’s ideas and philosophy through the years.
A solemn temple, entirely white, to convey hope for the future and respect for others and the world in general. A symbol of purity and esteem for noble sentiments and the desire for change.
Today, the village of Solomeo, along with its valley, is configured as a place rich in life and humanity, where one can care for the soul and alleviate the burden of life.
The Construction Technique
The monument, built entirely of Travertine, was realized in a way that will leave a mark on time. An indestructible structure that will last 2000 years. Just as the classical monuments of the age of Palladio and Vitruvius have reached us, we used the same construction method for the realization of the “Tribute to Dignity” to bequeath an ode to the beauty and dignity of man, his knowledge, and his wisdom, to future generations.
First of all, the base where the monument was subsequently positioned was prepared. We spread a layer of concrete and carefully leveled the paving. The blocks that constitute the first three layers were hand-sculpted and transported to the site already ready to be assembled. Stainless steel pins were implanted inside to support the structure and make the monument indestructible.
Subsequently, we positioned the blocks that would form the arches. For this operation, we used structures to create the arch vault. With the support of a crane, we positioned all the blocks; like a kind of puzzle, the arches gradually took on the desired shape. In this second phase, blocks of light-colored Travertine, processed using CNC milling machines, were used, creating a brighter effect compared to the base.
The 5 arches are a tribute to the continents: AMERICA, EUROPE, AFRICA, ASIA, OCEANIA. The names were sculpted and covered in bronze beneath each Travertine arch. The central arch was assigned to Africa, as modern human beings, belonging to the Homo genus, the progenitor of our species, originated in Africa according to genetic studies (about 200,000 years ago).
The entire monument was created according to the rules of classical architecture, not only for the structuring of the overall shape but also for the blocks taken individually. The arch construction, based on classical architectural principles, is supported by central pillars placed between one arch and the next, onto which the weight of the entire overlying structure is discharged.
The curve of the arch is called the sesto (intrados); in the monument, a round arch (arco a tutto sesto) was created, a style favored by Roman architecture and later by Renaissance architecture. The round arch has a semicircular curvature that corresponds exactly to the semi-perimeter of a circle, where the radius is half the diameter.
In the center of the paving is the tripod with its monolithic basin, a symbol of ancient Greece. It is an offering of love to the gods, to guests, and to the victorious.
After positioning all the elements, we finished the Travertine paving. The Travertine used visibly appears in three different types: darker in the paving (Walnut Travertine), medium in the rusticated base (Straw-colored Travertine), and light in the arch section.
To conclude, the bronze inscription with the monument’s name, “Tributo alla dignità” (Tribute to Dignity), was installed.
The text, rich in values and leaving no doubt, semicircularly follows the entire structure. Further ahead, on the pillars where the two statues were placed, two Greek inscriptions can be read, which translate to: PHILOSOPHY (on the left) and WISDOM (on the right).
Access to the Monument
To admire the monumental beauty of the “Tribute to the Dignity of Man,” one can visit the hamlet of Solomeo, located about twenty kilometers from Perugia, for free. One walks up a steep Travertine staircase immersed in the green lawn, at the summit of which the imposing white obelisk can be seen—an ode to dignity and craftsmanship.
Cucinelli’s Philosophy
Cucinelli bases his philosophy as a man, first, and an entrepreneur, second, on the discovery of the profound and philosophical values that arise from the rural world. His peasant origins taught the great entrepreneur human value, respect for work, and for those who dedicate time, passion, and sacrifice to it.
His successes and global fame stem from pursuing a working model that respects the moral and economic dignity of man. Profit is important but cannot be put before the well-being of the community. Following Kant’s principle, “Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never merely as a means to an end, but always at the same time as an end,” he established the rules of his company.
A lover of beauty, through private company funds, he restored the village of Solomeo to try to “restore beauty and dignity to things buried by human oblivion and under the dust of time.”
Currently, the village presents a landscape that seems to have been extrapolated from the Renaissance period, and even more so now, thanks to the dominance of the newly erected monument “in tribute to the Dignity of Man,” conceived with the same structural rules as the Colosseum, designed to last for centuries.