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Its a bit of a generic term loosely used. Can refer to a number of things. Your description above can easily apply. What exactly is the problem?

double posting - see below

... to sit on it and that is a mix of gravel and sand specifically bought to do this and level the area? Never seen any hardcore like this, but there has been a lot of rain... However the area next to it, established white road, was almost dry with the sun today. This stuff you would sink in to if you stood in it.... bit like cement but with chunks...

The stuff I have bought, termed 'stabilizzante' (for a gravel road base) is what in the UK used to be (probably still is) termed hoggin. It's a mix of larger granulates - say stones up to 25mm diameter (though sharp, rather than smooth like river gravel), plus a load of very much smaller grains as in sand or mud or lime. Given rain and compaction this stuff becomes very solid, but it is important that you have the right mix of aggregate sizes. It sounds as if your smaller aggregates are basically lime/chalk (because it is white). Possiby even your larger stony bits are crushed limestone. It may be that the delivery occurred in a very disadvantageous period - too much rain - which would render it temporarily horribly squidgy - but as soon as it dries out a bit and a few lorries/diggers have been on it it should function as intended. Yer old crushed brick hardcore was just as good - but some imbecile in Europe has banned it!

What you describe "��looks like the rubble from building crushed up" sound a bit like what we call 'hardcore' in the UK. Hardcore, which is literally the old building broken and used for ground 'stabilisation'.  Crushed hardcore is useful, when spread and compacted as a base on which to build [usually as a base for casting concrete flooring/foundations on].   hardcore usually consists of any part of a building excluding the 'organic' parts [timber etc] that would rot and cause voids.  The "white/cream looking mush" stuff you mention is probably things like plaster rising to the surface during compaction, and shouldn't cause too much of a problem - the strength lies in the crushed stone/bricks/concrete below For more details see - try Googling "hardcore building". BUT, don't just Google hardcore - you'll just get porn

... ty everyone...

In our part of marche there is a type of limestone 'gravel' (for want of a better word) that gets put on white roads You can get white or red. Apparently the red is the good stuff. This compacts down over time to become very hard. Could it be that?

We use both the red and white stabilizzante on the road down to our house (red on the bends).  The road is 650m, windy and steep and this stuff does what it says - it stabilises the road.  3 years after moving in and twice re-surfacing the road we now have a very solid road that copes even with the latest prolonged rain.  Don't complain if that is what you have as it is very expensive - much more costly than just stones or rubble.