Bricks have been the basic element in any building work for thousands of years throughout the world. Italy can boast some of the finest examples: entire cities, such as Siena, Bologna, and Ferrara are illuminated by the colourful tones of clay bricks, moulded by skilled hands, and fired intensely in furnaces dating back to Etruscan times. Pica, with half a century of tradition to its credit, has put its faith in a brick most worthy of such a heritage: a “handmade” brick, but one created with the most sophisticated means. From its raw state, the dried brick is produced by firing it at a temperature of 1000°C for 18 hours. Durability and hardwearing properties are achieved by firing at 1000°C. Each batch of Handmade Bricks is tested for resistance, frost proof and transpiration characteristics, porosity and osmotic properties.
