Top of the World
Scarperia is one of the many enchanting Italian villages. Situated 30 kilometres from Florence, in the heart of Mugello, this village is not only famous throughout the world for its beauty, but also and above all for an artisan excellence that has been handed down for centuries: the art of cutlery. Founded on 8 September 1306 by the Florentine Republic, Scarperia soon became a centre for the production of cutting tools: knives, cutting weapons, scissors, pruning knives and other sharp objects useful for work in the fields. But how did this ancient tradition come about? The geographic position must have been decisive in the development of this real art. Scarperia in fact was founded with the precise purpose of defending the city of Florence from the attacks of enemies coming from northern Italy. At the same time the village was situated along the road that connected the north and the centre of Italy and for this reason it became a station frequented by all types of travellers, from merchants to pilgrims. All of them stopped in the Mugello village to rest before starting their journey again, and on this occasion they made purchases. This is how the art of forging knives seems to have been born: a tool with a thousand uses, which was particularly useful to travellers: it was used for eating, for defence, for cutting branches and brushwood in the Apennine woods, and so on. In addition, it was a light tool that was easily sold to travellers who, in the Middle Ages, travelled on foot and therefore necessarily with little luggage; it was customary to carry all the objects that were needed attached to the belt together with the precious "scarsella" or money bag.
