Francesco Russo

He was born in Sicily in 1937. When still a child, he moved to Rome, in the Centocelle district, where he started working from a young age. In 1951 he joined the workshop of Federico Rossi, a marble worker in the historic centre of Rome who had been working since 1933. In 1956 he took over the business and continued in the wake of the tradition started by Rossi. There, he kept faithful to the fame of a unique Italian artisan workshop, taking care of marble in all its forms, “from the edge of the sidewalk to the statue”. Francesco Russo and his collaborators carry out every possible marble work, from the smallest ones to great works. In sixty years of activity they have carried out important works for private individuals and public bodies, such as the restoration of the works in the Galleria Borghese, restoration works in the church of Santa Maria del Popolo and in many other historical Roman churches; all this earned him the title of “Artisan Master of the City of Rome”.

Since 1972, Francesco Russo has been known as “Franco er Marmista” (Franco the Marble Worker) thanks to his friendship with the famous former president of CONI (the Italian National Olympic Committee) Giulio Onesti, who gave him this nickname.

Another long-standing friendship, that with Mr Fernando Onori, led “Franco er marmista”, with his well-known craftsmanship, to become a member of the Università dei Marmorari in the early 2000.