EyeItalia

The Garfagnana, a mountainous region in northwest Tuscany, has long been home to a rich tradition of handweaving. In the 1950′s, Anna Pedri urged a group of fellow handweavers in the area to combine their talents and their looms in order to promote and preserve their craft. So a weaving cooperative was born and over several years the group grew to 80 members. This weaving workshop was the genesis of the company known as Artes – Artigianato Tessile (textile handcraft) – becoming one of the first and most prestigious  women-owned companies in Italy.

Today many of the weavers at Artes are third-generation, and the company is run by Anna Pedri’s grandsons Alessandro and Massimo Bertolani, who are equally passionate about their craft. The company continues its tradition of producing beautiful woven fabrics on its 16 ancient chestnut looms, employing weaving techniques that date from the 12th century. Artes is one of the most widely respected companies of its kind in Italy, producing beautiful shawls, scarves and other textiles for major designers such as Hermes, Armani, Chanel, Gucci, Max Mara and Loro Piana. Using only the finest of yarns and materials – cashmere, silk, linen and wool – Artes’ production is unsurpassed in both quality and beauty. EyeItalia is proud to represent some of the Artes creations, which may be seen in Luxury Textiles.

As part of its mission, Artes formed the Scuola Tessile Garfagnana in 2006, a school dedicated to teaching and preserving this most ancient of crafts. Individual and group courses are available; for more information contact info@scuolatessilegarfagnana.it.

Artes is located in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, about a 75 minute drive from Lucca.

• Artes
• via G.B. Vanngli, 61
• Castelnuovo di Garfagnana
• Tel: 65375/62015
• www.artesonline.it