Italian knife making (la coltelleria artigiana italiana) is the oldest documented European knife production tradition and the one whose specific geographical concentration (the two main Italian knife making districts, the Scarperia (Florence province, Tuscany) and the Maniago (Pordenone province, Friuli-Venezia Giulia), together account for approximately 85% of the Italian artisan knife production) gives the specifically regional character to a craft that the rest of Europe associates with the generic German or Swiss tradition. The Scarperia knife documentation: the specific 1306 Statute of the "Arte dei Coltellinai di Scarperia" (the Guild of Knife Makers of Scarperia, the specific register of the Confraternita dei Coltellinai whose 1306 founding document is the oldest single surviving European guild charter for the knife making craft) and the specific 2006 European Union recognition (the specific Scarperia knife (the coltello di Scarperia) received the specific EU Geographical Indication (the IGP. Indicazione Geografica Protetta) certification in 2006, the most recent single Italian artisan product to receive the EU IGP status for a non-food traditional craft).
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Italian Knife Making: The Districts, the Types, and Where to Buy
Scarperia. The Florentine Knife Capital
Scarperia (the specific Tuscan hill town 30km north of Florence on Via Faentina (the SS65), accessible by the SITA bus from Florence (Florence Autostazione, Via di Santa Caterina da Siena) in approximately 45 minutes (approximately €3 one-way) or by car via the A1 Barberino di Mugello exit): the most historically specific single Italian artisan knife village (the village whose specific medieval center (the Palazzo dei Vicari, the 14th-century seat of the Florentine governors) and the specific knife shop concentration (Via Nazionale in the Scarperia village center has 8-12 knife shops and artisan workshops in 200m) create the most specifically knife-focused single Italian village experience): the Museo dei Ferri Taglienti (the Museum of Sharp Instruments, the Palazzo dei Vicari, Via dei Medici, Scarperia): the specific collection of the Scarperia knife production history (the specific 14th-20th century Scarperia knives and the specific artisan tools (the specific Scarperia forge (the fucina) tools whose specific form (the mazzuolo (the hammer), the incudine (the anvil), and the specific Scarperia file sets) has changed minimally from the medieval period)), admission approximately €3. Open Tuesday-Sunday 10:00-12:30 and 15:00-18:00 (verify hours at comune.scarperia-san-piero.fi.it).
The Sardinian Pattada Knife. The Most Time-Intensive
The Pattada knife (the resolza, the specific traditional Sardinian folding knife (the forbice sarda, the Sardinian "scissors" (the archaic Sardo name for the folding knife) whose specific production center is the town of Pattada in the Sassari province of northern Sardinia (the Pattada, the mountain town at 825m altitude in the Logudoro region whose specific knife making tradition is documented from the 17th century)): the most time-intensive single Italian knife and the one whose specific production requirement (the resolza is made entirely by the single artisan, the specific Pattada single-maker tradition (the artigiano che fa tutto, the artisan who does everything: the forging, the grinding, the polishing, the fitting, the handle making, and the finishing) in the specific 4-6 month production cycle for the highest quality piece (the "prima scelta", the first quality)) gives the authentic Pattada the highest single Italian artisan knife production time). The specific Pattada knife elements: the blade (the lama, the specific Wootz steel (the damasco) or the specific stainless steel (the acciaio inox 440C or the M390, the modern Pattada makers who use the specific premium stainless steels rather than the traditional carbon steel)) and the handle (the manico, the specific ram's horn (the corno d'ariete, the Sarda mouflon ram horn (the specific Ovis gmelini musimon, the Sardinian mouflon (the endemic Sardinian wild sheep) that the specific handle material requires) or the specific staghorn (the corno di cervo, the European red deer antler that the Pattada makers use for the mainland Sardinian deer horn supply)).
Q&A: Italian Knife Making
Can I take an Italian artisan knife home on the plane?
The specific Italian artisan knife air transport rules: knives of any blade length can't be carried in the hand baggage (the cabin luggage) on any commercial flight departing from any EU airport (the specific EU Aviation Security Regulation (EC) No. 300/2008 prohibits all bladed objects from the cabin regardless of blade length). Knives must be transported in the checked baggage (the stivata, the hold luggage): the specific checked baggage knife transport rules require the knife to be in the rigid case or firmly wrapped in cardboard with the specific airline notification (the baggage tag marked "contains sharp objects", the specific airline-provided label (the "oggetti taglienti in bagaglio" label)). The destination country customs rules: the UK (the specific UK import restriction, knives with blades over 3 inches (7.62cm) require the specific export license from the Italian Ministry of Economic Development for the specific antique or collectible knife (pre-1939))). The US (the CBP (US Customs and Border Protection) permits the import of any knife for personal use with no specific import restriction (the specific US knife import provision (19 CFR 148.101, the personal use exemption) allows the knife import for personal use without the specific commercial import license, but the destination state law may restrict the specific knife type (the specific state concealed-carry knife restrictions vary dramatically from state to state))). And Australia (the specific AusPost (Australian Postal and Customs Service) restricts the knife import to knives with blades under 10cm for the checked baggage import, longer blades require the specific import permit from the Australian Border Force).
