The faces of the street

• Cipriani: My great mentor, of course, a highly regarded restorer with whom I remained for about ten years.
• Beppe: Next to my workshop was Beppe, a furniture restorer and also an excellent cook; he was the one in charge of cooking when we had lunch together.
• Andrea: Now in his eighties, who sometimes still comes in the morning to enjoy himself with his naïve artist’s work, used to help his uncle, a furniture restorer, in his spare time.
• Luigi: Across from me was Luigi, a wood carver and gilder, who remained in the shop until he was 88. A true example of what it means to be alive in spirit.
• Enrico: A restorer of antique books, descendant of a family of artisans with at least 180 years of history. He recently retired at the age of over eighty.
• The other masters: Blacksmith Sciabolino, Aldo the violin maker, and Elio, another wood carver.

A changing landscape

Some of these workshops have been converted into homes, others are offices or warehouses. The street is no longer as lively as it once was; it is often quiet, and when it rains, especially in autumn, it is very sad.

I console myself with the satisfaction of meeting the people who come to attend my courses, from Italy and abroad, and this gives a sense of life to my days as a craftsman.