Editor’s Note: This feature is part of ‘Details,’ a new series that captures the creation of some of the world’s most intricately made objects.
From a distance, the looms of the Antico Setifico Fiorentino silk-weaving mill sound like a steam train – one that has been traveling for centuries. The patterns produced here go back to the golden years of the Renaissance, with one of the machines still in use today having been built by Leonardo da Vinci himself.
According to Niccolo Ricci, CEO of Stefano Ricci, the company that now owns the mill, all but one of the women who work here today are from Florence. Their efforts, skills and understanding of these machines are what keep the art of silk-weaving alive, and produce some of the most sought-after fabrics on the planet.