The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: May twenty-fifth, shaping marble in Pietrasanta.

Last time we visited Lucca, a medieval walled city in Tuscany, the province in the northwest corner of Italy's boot. Moving across the final range of hills to the Mediterranean coast, there's a small town that has long been a mecca for sculptors.

Since Roman times, this part of Tuscany has produced remarkably pure marble. Five centuries ago, Michelangelo searched local quarries for select stone to shape into gods. Villages like Carrara, Luna and Torano have literally sliced off their mountaintops and sent them around the world. Glaciers of marble debris cling from the slopes. But rather than quarrying, one town is known for shaping the stone into fine art.

In Italian, Pietrasanta means "holy stone," and the residents of this bustling town tucked between the mountains and the sea live and, since a patina of fine white dust hangs in the air, breathe marble. For hundreds of years, serious sculptors have gathered here to learn the art of sculpting stone and enjoy the company of comrades in craft.

These days, one can walk Pietrasanta's streets and hear the buzz of air chisel on stone. Watch local artisans re-create the work of old masters. Take a seat in a cafe on its statuary-filled central square and eavesdrop on cultured conversations in different languages. An old church and monastery have become a superb sculpture gallery and museum. Spend a day in Pietrasanta and you'll never again take another piece of marble for granite.

FMI Italian Government Travel, 630 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011 212-245- 5618 or www.italiantourism.com

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