Stone-Ideas.com 
It felt like construction works on this subway line in Rome had been going on for more than 2,000 years: On December 15, 2025, two new stations on Rome‘s Metro Line C opened. One is “Colosseo/Fori Imperiali” at the Colosseum and the Imperial Forums, the other is “Porta Metronia” at the ancient city gate. Nobody wanted to complain about the period of around twelve years for a 3.6 km stretch, because the workers kept coming across ancient finds underground, all the time. These can now be seen in the Colosseo station on the way to the tracks. In Porta Metronia, a separate museum is being set up for the finds scheduled to open in February 2026. The extension of Line C is continuing: it will eventually lead to Piazza Venezia and then to St. Peter‘s Basilica (Italian).
Ambaji Marble from Gujarat, India, received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, recognizing its unique appearance and its cultural importance. It is quarried near the sacred town of Ambaji and used for holy structures such as the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor and modern temples in the West (1, 2).
The Rocalia natural stone trade fair recorded a 9% increase in exhibitors (to 1,019) and visitors (to 41,500) at its December 2025 edition. 25% of the exhibitors came from abroad. In total, participants came from 60 countries. The fair takes place every two years in Lyon, together with Paysalia (landscaping). The next show is scheduled for November 30 to December 02, 2027.
“Out of the box“ is the name of a 25-storey residential tower in progress in Taipei, Taiwan, standing out with its gridded façade clad in marble. The architects are Dutch studio MVRDV, whose city landscape, named “Valley, “ we had presented recently (1, 2).
“Bioerosion of shells on the beach – and in old Norwegian lime mortars“ is the latest topic in Geoarchaeologist Per Storemyr’s blog.
US-Holding Capstone, a distributor of masonry and stone-related products, has recently acquired Carolina Stone and Canadian Stone Industries. On its webpage, it announces data about the growth of the stone sector it expects (1, 2).
US President Donald Trump has unveiled renovations to the bathroom in the Lincoln Bedroom, as his remodelling of the White House continues, the BBC reports.
Video of the month: In Buster Keaton‘s 1925 film “Seven Chances,” rocks rolling down a hillside play a central role. The story revolves around a seven million dollar inheritance that Jimmie, the main character, will receive if he succeeds to marry quickly. A newspaper advertisement is placed, and hundreds of women show up. They feel cheated and now hunt Jimmie down. Finally, the rolling boulders drive them away. In reality, the rocks were about 1,500 pieces of papier-mâché, the largest weighing up to 200 kg. In the end, he arrives at the church just in time, where his true love is waiting for him. Buster Keaton was one of those comedians, like Charlie Chaplin, who had worked as children with their parents in the circus or variety shows and brought many artistic gags to the cinema.