In many ways, it is the high quality of natural stone from Italy that can explain the contribution that this country has made to world art and architecture. From antiquity to the present day, Italian travertines and marbles have been highly valued all over the world, the deposits of which make up the lion's share of the economy of regions such as Carrara, Tuscany and Sicily. Also traditional for this country natural minerals are onyx, basalt, granite. In addition to the actual extraction of natural stone, Italy also prepares rocks obtained from quarries in other countries. Italian manufacturers process natural stone and export it in the form of slabs, and these large blocks are further used by stone processing companies for the manufacture of finishing materials, interior items and other products.