Romanesque architecture in Italy is distinguished by the use of which material for facing walls?

• A. Marble
• B. Brick
• C. Limestone
• D. Granite

Answer: (A)

Marble is used for facing walls in Italian Romanesque architecture, giving façades a bright, polished appearance and enabling decorative polychrome patterns that echo classical grandeur. In many Italian churches, especially in Tuscany and Lombardy, the exterior is clad in marble slabs or bands of different colored marbles (often including Carrara white), creating a luminous surface and a sense of refined permanence. This marble facing helped distinguish Italian Romanesque from forms that relied more on plain stone blocks or brick for the outer walls. While bricks or limestone might appear in some regional constructions, the defining exterior treatment in this tradition is the marble facing.