Asphalt rock is a soft limestone impregnated with variable percentages of natural fossil hydrocarbons (bitumen). “Pietra Pece”, distinctive to the city of Ragusa, is a special Italian form of asphalt rock known for its unique colouring ranging from pale grey to dark brown and black; its fossils, veining and strong stippling give its surface character and depth of colour. Thanks to its workability, for many centuries it was central to the art and culture of the ancient part of Ragusa, known in past centuries as “Ibla” because its people, of Greek origin, venerated a goddess of that name. This slice of Mediterranean history, with its people and the special material they used to build their city over the centuries, now gives its name to a porcelain stoneware collection: Ibla.