Hidden treasures

The Casentino cloth: an all-Tuscan excellence

Did you know that...
panno_casentino

The Casentino cloth: an all-Tuscan excellence

It is a soft fabric, with excellent thermal insulation, waterproof and wear-resistant. Is this a state-of-the-art high-tech fiber designed in Tuscany? You won’t believe it but we are talking about a fabric created in the 1300s! It is the famous Casentino cloth, a woolen cloth produced in this beautiful area since Etruscans times. Why was it invented right here? Easily answered: because Casentino offered all that was needed for this type of production! First of all, there were sheep farms providing cheap material, watercourses for the washing and dyeing of the wool but also for powering the fulling mills, and finally the timber to heat the water for the dyeing.

The Casentino cloth is a durable fabric characterized by the classic curls which are the reasons for its strength and waterproofness. They form a sort of layer that allows the skin to breathe but at the same time keeps water out and therefore makes it perfect for the harsh winters of Casentino. The famous curls are created, from as early as the 1300s, by a process called 'rattinatura', whereby the wool is brushed with a stone. And did you know that orange, which is the most famous color of this fabric, is the result of a mistake? It all happened in the 16th century when the use of alum was experimented to try and make the fabric more waterproof, but this reacted with a dye and created the typical bright orange tincture! This met the approval of Florentine women so much that it became the iconic color of the fabric itself. Just think that in the beginning the fabric in the typical dark green color was used for the habits of the friars of the Camaldoli Monastery and the La Verna Sanctuary and for the cloaks of carters and as a cover for horses!

The iconic garment of this fabric is the classic orange Casentino coat for men with a fox collar: it was used by characters the likes of Bettino Ricasoli, Giuseppe Verdi and Giacomo Puccini. Hardly a year goes by without a 'more or less imaginative' reinterpretation being featured at Pitti! There have also been celebrated ones by designers such as Ferré, Pucci, Carden and Cavalli. Tuscany’s crafts and ancient traditions are so fascinating: discover them with us thanks to our tour in the villages!

By Insidecom Editorial Staff

Latest posts

Siena: Ricciarelli: Siena’s sweets hailing from the far East.

ricciarelli-
Local Traditions

Alongside panforte, they are among Siena’s sweets that best represent the city. Just thinking about their orange and vanilla scent, s...

View

Florence: Who invented the bistecca alla fiorentina?

bistecca
Local Traditions

The Florentine beefsteak is the undisputed queen of Tuscany’s gastronomy. Including the bone, and strictly cooked in ‘blood’ (i.e...

View

Tuscany: Ferdinando Innocenti: the inventor of the Lambretta.

Lambretta
Big Names

There is no doubt that Tuscany is a land of inventors. Just think of Leonardo da Vinci! Ferdinando Innocenti is also one of them. Do yo...

View

Florence: Negroni was born in Florence!

Negroni
Did you know that...

Now that Mojito and Moscow Mule are all the rage as aperitifs, there are classic cocktails that have stood the test of time and moods. ...

View

Top posts

Arezzo: Guido d'Arezzo and the invention of the music

Guido-d-Arezzo
Big Names

In Talla and surroundings people have no doubt: the inventor of the musical stave, the inventor of the music notes and also of the mode...

View

Pistoia: The Kiss of the Christs in Gavinana

Il-bacio-dei-cristi
Local Traditions

It is a very ancient but still popular rite. Two large processions that meet up with a Christ on the cross in front of each one: the he...

View

Siena: Piero Carbonetti and his tin drum

Piero-Carbonetti
Local Traditions

Subversive, persecuted, anarchist, homeless, dreamer: it is really difficult to define Piero Carbonetti, Tuscan bred and born and Garib...

View

Pisa: Kinzika, the young woman who saved Pisa from the Saracens

Kinzika
Local Traditions

It was really her, a young woman with an Arabian name, Kinzica, of the noble Sismondi family, to save Pisa from being sacked by Saracen...

View