WELCOME TO MUGELLO ARTIGIANO !

Giovanni Klaus Koenig defined the craftsman as one who designs while executing a job. This is why we at Mugello Artigiano like to think of Mugello as a Land of Skillful Hands. Here many practice artisan professions, either by heritage or as a calling. Many achieve excellence: of the quality of the manufacture, as a result of the tradition that their objects express and, in some cases, also from the elements of innovation applied in making traditional objects.

The Stonecutters of Pietra Serena. In the mountainous area of ​Alto Mugello, the great abundance of sandstone prompted the ancient tradition of the Pietra Serena stonecutters. Whole villages on the mountain slopes were made of stone and offer a fascinating and tangible testimony of this ancient art. Today in Firenzuola and in the neighboring towns it is still possible to find many artisans who work with Pietra Serena, giving life to objects of fine workmanship.

The Cutlers of Scarperia. Another long-standing artisan tradition is that of the Scarperia cutlers. At least five centuries old, this activity originally coincided with that of the armorer, that is, the one who manufactured and repaired weapons and armor. In 1538, with the Statute of Cutlers, we first hear about iron artisans, dedicated to a vast production of cutting tools for military, domestic and manufacturing uses. Until the beginning of the twentieth century, there were still many shops specialized in this type of production in Scarperia. Today, the numbers are very small, but the quality of the product that these craftsmen are able to forge is still high.

The carpenters. At a time when the movement of goods was still very difficult, things were done with what was most readily available. This was the case for wood and its widespread processing in Mugello. Buildings were made of stone, because boulders and river rocks were abundant, but the roof scaffolding and all the finishing components of the houses were wisely worked in wood: shutters, blinds, doors and windows and also furniture such as tables, chests, cupboards and wardrobes. Everything that was needed to have a finished and functional house was made by hands who knew well the secrets of the local lumber supply, in particular, chestnut, walnut and cherry, widely used for the construction of furniture and fixtures. Even today, in Mugello, carpentry is a widespread activity, and there is no lack of those who preserve and pass on the knowledge of the ancient techniques of wood processing and restoration.

Chini ceramics and manufacturing. Ceramics have been famous in Mugello at least since the time of the Medici. There is evidence of a furnace and accompanying storefront near the Villa di Cafaggiolo, in Barberino di Mugello, dating to the early sixteenth century. Other kilns near Cafaggiolo worked in the orbit of this main producer. In Borgo San Lorenzo, the discovery of the waste from a kiln in via Montebello documents an important production activity both due to the complexity of the processing and the varied types of material produced. The production of ceramics in our territory has continued over the centuries. But it is at the beginning of the twentieth century that this art met one of its most important interpreters: Galileo Chini. The ceramic business of the Chini family started with the opening of the San Lorenzo kilns. This place gave birth to a magnificent production of ceramics and stained glass that made Galileo Chini one of the greatest representatives of Italian Liberty style. Today, in the city of Borgo San Lorenzo, we can still find the laboratory and showroom of Chini ceramics and also other laboratories of this art, certainly worthy of attention.

Wrought iron. Similar to the artisan processes mentioned up to now, leatherwork also has distant origins, dated at least as far back as the time of the Medici. The processing of this material began as a response to certain needs of daily life, such as, for example, the production of shoes, for which Barberino had achieved an estimable reputation during the reign of the Medici. Throughout the territory, even today, leather and hides are worked with passion, passing on the knowledge necessary to obtain high quality products, destined to be precious clothing accessories, such as shoes, belts, bags or as ornamental objects such as covers and frames embellished with silver finishes.

Leather and hides. Similar to the artisan processes mentioned up to now, leatherwork also has distant origins, dated at least as far back as the time of the Medici. The processing of this material began as a response to certain needs of daily life, such as, for example, the production of shoes, for which Barberino had achieved an estimable reputation during the reign of the Medici. Throughout the territory, even today, leather and hides are worked with passion, passing on the knowledge necessary to obtain high quality products, destined to be precious clothing accessories, such as shoes, belts, bags or as ornamental objects such as covers and frames embellished with silver finishes.

Mugello, a land of transit in past and present, is crossed by important connecting routes between Florence and Emilia Romagna. Here the art of hospitality has a long history. The “Mercatali”, or meeting places where peasants and artisans would exchange their goods, developed along these communication routes beginning in the Middle Ages. The concentration of these people inevitably required the presence of places where the animals could be sheltered, places where they could stay overnight and, above all, places where they could eat. Now as then, the tradition of a simple but authentic cuisine continues, made with local products: milk, meat, oil, wine, honey, grain, potatoes and chestnuts. Products that the numerous operational farms offer with an eye to tradition and innovation.

Cattle breeding , both for milk and meat, plays a very important role in the local economy; just think that the quantity of milk produced in Mugello alone accounts for 50% of all Tuscan production. Likewise, the production of local meat is overseen with competence by the Meat Center, a reference point for farmers but also a guarantee for consumers.

Of no less importance is the collection of IGP Mugello Marrone, a chestnut cultivar, the production of organic potatoes, and the cultivation of spelt grain in Firenzuola. Spelt and wild chestnuts are also used for the production of craft beers, while potatoes represent the foundational ingredient for one of the most unique dishes of our territory, which is the "tortello mugellano".

In recent years the cultivation of the olive tree, has also intensified, resulting in the production of EVO oils of excellent quality; so much so that on the hillside, together with the olive trees, there are also luxury accommodation facilities, such as Villa Campestri Luxury Olive Oil Resort, which focuses its hospitality around the world of extra virgin olive oil.

Wine production is also exemplary. Bordering the lands of the renowned Chianti Classico, for about two decades now Mugello has been striving to acquire its own winemaking identity, hosting winemakers who gave birth to the experimental cultivation of Pinot Noir. In this geographical area, climatically characterized by strong temperature variations, not only seasonal but also daily, satisfying results were soon achieved. There is now also an Association called Tuscan Apennines - Pinot Noir Winegrowers, established in 2011, which involves four districts, four intermontane basins, four Apennine valleys, each with a marked individuality and its own characteristic geographical conditions. One of these four valleys is precisely that of Mugello, and the Association of the Tuscan Apennines, in addition to the well-recognized capacity to produce respected labels, also works toward the equally important role of preserving the knowledge of the territory in which it operates.

Preservation and dissemination of local knowledge is also exemplified by the artisan bakeries of Mugello. In fact, these workshops use and promote the traditional recipe for "sciocco" bread, i.e. bread without salt. The soft wheat used for bread making, free of GMOs, is grown in Mugello by local farms; these grains are then stone ground by mills still powered by water, such as the Foralossi Mill in Firenzuola. The flours produced then reach artisan bakeries such as the Vecchio Forno di Polcanto, the Panificio Faini Firenze in Luco del Mugello, and the Forno Conti Giuliano in San Piero a Sieve. The entire production chain of Pane del Mugello, or Mugello Bread, is guaranteed and protected by the Consortium of the same name, which aims to protect the production of bread, together with the preservation of its artisan traditions. Baking is a lively sector in Mugello; a sector that periodically offers news to be noted, such as the recent renovation of the small artisan company Antico Forno a Legna Piazzetti, which focuses its energies on the production of Panvernaccio, a registered trademark of the company that indicates the main characteristic component of Verna flour, a grain that is also produced in Mugello by local farms, such as Emilio Sereni, Schifanoia and AgriAmbiente.