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FLORENCE, ITALY - 26 OCTOBER 2018: Rolls of silk fabrics are displayed here in the showroom of the Antico Setificio Fiorentino, an ancient silk mill in central Florence, Italy, on October 26th 2018.

The showroom of the Antico Setificio Fiorentino displays many of the 100 different kinds of fabric the mill can produce, with vignettes of them turned into pillows, sofas and curtains.

Fabrics are priced accordingly, starting at about 200 euros a meter and going as high as 2000 euros a meter for lampasso, a special kind of damask so labor intensive to produce only 20 centimeters can be made a day. There are brocades, jacquards, damasks, shantung, satin, moire, rustic filaticcio and stiff, shimmering ermisino. The palette extends from pure “panna”, or cream, to delicate pastels and rich jewel tones, often shot with threads of gold or silver.

The Antico Setificio Fiorentino is a silk mill, located in central Florence within view of the old city walls in the San Frediano neighborhood, that produces the kind of fabrics destined for city palaces and country estates. The mill was bought in 2010 by Stefano Ricci from the Pucci, with an eye to using it to produce fabrics for the launch of a new home collection

Lined up in rows are the dozen looms that take the slender threads, by now dyed emerald and ruby and sapphire, and weave them into the textiles that form a part of the fabric of Florentine life.

Silk was made in the city as far back as the 1300s, a commodity to trade for precious materials. In more recent times, the fabric in the gowns in “Il Gattopardo” and “Death in Venice” came from the mill, as did much of Maris Callas’ wardrobe, robes for Popes, suits for Andre Bocelli, and Nelson Mandela’s silk shirts (when he wore one for his audience with Queen Elizabeth II she reportedly remarked, “that’s a beautiful shirt.”) The carmine red curtains at the Villa Medici and the Tribune of the Uffizi were made here. The Presidential Suite at the city’s

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©2018 Gianni Cipriano
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www.giannicipriano.com
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20181026_NYT_Silk
FLORENCE, ITALY - 26 OCTOBER 2018: Rolls of silk fabrics are displayed here in the showroom of the Antico Setificio Fiorentino, an ancient silk mill in central Florence, Italy, on October 26th 2018.<br /> <br /> The showroom of the Antico Setificio Fiorentino displays many of the 100 different kinds of fabric the mill can produce, with vignettes of them turned into pillows, sofas and curtains.<br /> <br /> Fabrics are priced accordingly, starting at about 200 euros a meter and going as high as 2000 euros a meter for lampasso, a special kind of damask so labor intensive to produce only 20 centimeters can be made a day. There are brocades, jacquards, damasks, shantung, satin, moire, rustic filaticcio and stiff, shimmering ermisino. The palette extends from pure “panna”, or cream, to delicate pastels and rich jewel tones, often shot with threads of gold or silver.<br /> <br /> The Antico Setificio Fiorentino is a silk mill, located in central Florence within view of the old city walls in the San Frediano neighborhood, that produces the kind of fabrics destined for city palaces and country estates. The mill was bought in 2010 by Stefano Ricci from the Pucci, with an eye to using it to produce fabrics for the launch of a new home collection<br /> <br /> Lined up in rows are the dozen looms that take the slender threads, by now dyed emerald and ruby and sapphire, and weave them into the textiles that form a part of the fabric of Florentine life.<br /> <br /> Silk was made in the city as far back as the 1300s, a commodity to trade for precious materials. In more recent times, the fabric in the gowns in “Il Gattopardo” and “Death in Venice” came from the mill, as did much of Maris Callas’ wardrobe, robes for Popes, suits for Andre Bocelli, and Nelson Mandela’s silk shirts (when he wore one for his audience with Queen Elizabeth II she reportedly remarked, “that’s a beautiful shirt.”) The carmine red curtains at the Villa Medici and the Tribune of the Uffizi were made here. The Presidential Suite at the city’s