The
"Museo dei Ferri Taglienti" is housed in the prestigious and
recently-restored Palazzo dei Vicari, and focuses on the history of
the knife in human activity, the centres of production in Italy, and the
knife-makers and knives of Scarperia. It is also possible to see a
live demonstration of the construction of a knife. In the nearby Via
Solferino there is the ancient Bottega del Coltellinaio where, together
with period tools, there is also an untouched smoke-permeated working
environment. It almost seems possible to hear carefully judged blows falling
onto hot iron that has just come straight from the forge; or to see the
sputafuoco ("fire-spitter") at work, whetstone with a strip
of powder-coated leather on top that was used to polish the blades, and
which produced sparks when it came in contact with the iron; or to see
the up-and-down movement of the sartuzza that was used to bore holes in
horn handles. Made completely rigid by the morchia (coal dust mixed with
water) which has impregnated it for years, there is an old felt cap which
was part of the orso (a wheel of rags), which still today could put a
shine onto the horn handle of a beautiful knife from Scarperia.
Translated by Jeremy Carden
Picture by Kee-Ho Casati |