Hands-on experiences turn visitors into storytellers, shares Neal Barab

When Neal Barab first arrived in Pietrasanta from California over 35 years ago, he thought he’d only stay for a year. Like countless sculptors before him, he had heard of Carrara Marble, the stone of Michelangelo, Bernini, Canova, Modigliani, Henry Moore, and even the Romans. What he didn’t expect was that Pietrasanta, often called The Sculptor’s Paradise, would capture him for life.

For small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Travel & Tourism sector, Neal’s story is more than an artist’s journey; it’s a masterclass in how place, community, and authenticity can create experiences that keep people coming back.

The power of a creative community

Pietrasanta is not just a town; it is a living ecosystem for sculptors. Here, artists from around the world, Japan, Korea, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, the UK, and France, come to work with marble, sharing techniques, ideas, and inspiration.

At the heart of this community is Studio Pescarella, managed by Neal and two long-time colleagues, Swiss sculptor Jaya Schuerch and German sculptor Lotte Thuenker. The three have worked side by side for 30 years, creating a rare bond that has transformed colleagues into family.

The studio is home to ten workspaces exclusively for professional sculptors. Even two retired Italian artists, both in their 90s, continue to chisel and polish stone there. For visitors, being in the presence of such history and experience is more than sightseeing; it’s stepping into a world that breathes creativity.

Turning tourism into experience

What makes Studio Pescarella unique for travellers is participating in its making. Neal gives each visitor a block of marble and hand tools, letting them strike stone and feel the spark of transformation.

For many guests, especially children and teenagers exhausted by endless cathedrals and museums, this hands-on encounter becomes the highlight of their travels. It’s about touching history, creation, and imagination with their own hands.

And the experience doesn’t stop at chisels and stone dust. At lunch, guests join the artists at a shared table. Their contributions provide enough food for everyone, turning the meal into a communal celebration. Visitors leave with the feeling that they’ve lived, even briefly, the life of an artist.

Art as storytelling

Neal’s own artistic journey is steeped in a love for coloured stone. While Carrara’s famed Statuario marble remains the gold standard, Neal experiments with materials from around the globe, such as green, pink, yellow, and his latest favourite, Blu Macauba, a stunning Brazilian quartzite.

He combines these stones into PERSONAGGI, or characters, sculpted until they feel alive enough to walk into the world. Each piece tells its own story, and for visitors who meet Neal and his creations, the sculptures are personalities born from imagination, craft, and place.

Neal’s story offers powerful insights for SMEs shaping the future of travel:

• Community is magnetic. Like Pietrasanta for sculptors, creating clusters of creativity or authenticity draws people in and makes them want to stay longer.

• Participation beats observation. Tourists don’t just want to look; they want to do. Interactive, hands-on experiences create unforgettable memories.

• Authenticity sells. What sets Studio Pescarella apart is real artists, real tools, real lunches, and real stories.

• Collaboration creates longevity. Just as Neal and his colleagues built a 30-year partnership, SMEs can thrive by building networks of trust and shared purpose.

Craft your own paradise

Neal never left Pietrasanta because it offered him more than a workplace. It offered him a way of life. That’s the magic travellers crave today, immersion in authentic worlds where creativity, history, and humanity come alive.

SMEs don’t just offer trips; they offer transformation. Give your guests something real to hold, something unexpected to do, and a story they can carry home. Like a block of marble waiting to be sculpted, the future of travel is in your hands.

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