Aldo and Edda Lorenzi have published an invaluable book documenting a part of the collection of blades and knives preserved at the foundation they established in 2020. They also present the history of the craft of knife-making and the knowledge that has been honed over centuries in this artisanal world.
A successful adventureNearly ten years have passed since we first told the story of a shop in Via Montenapoleone founded in 1929 in Milan by Giovanni Lorenzo, a knife grinder from Mortaso and father of Aldo Lorenzi, who we interviewed for CampiglIO. It is but one, emblematic story out of the many knife grinders who migrated from Val Rendena to places both near and far. The story of the Lorenzi family’s adventure is one of success, marked by a broad, growing consensus surrounding the small shop of the 1920s as it became an icon of beauty and style in Milan, the capital of fashion and design.
pass on, teach, preserve, and transferAfter many decades and a revealing visit to the Aldo and Edda Lorenzi Foundation in 2021 – the next chapter after the closure of the Milan shop in 2014 – we can now add new pages to this fascinating, inspirational story, an invaluable legacy of love for the craft centered around Aldo Lorenzi and Edda Chiodini. The occasion is the publication of their book Lame Lucenti, the long-awaited work that entrusts to the written word and printed images a selection of some two hundred tools kept by the foundation at its base in Via Correggio, Milan. Knives, razors, scissors, blades and other cutlery are presented alongside the artisans who made them. Vintage prints and objects dear to Aldo and Edda depict a heritage of over two thousand pieces that testify to an extraordinary dedication to the typically Italian pursuit of beauty and quality.
“Lame lucenti”“A selection of artifacts both ancient and modern at our foundation is illustrated on these pages,” write Aldo and Edda Lorenzi, “so as to capture the memory of their creators, whose talent has often drawn on experience passed down from generation to generation and from whose works the passion for our own work has derived.” Precious objects that shine in stunning photographs and are imbued with the history and lives of Aldo and Edda. But are these mere objects? No, they are much more. Each of them, much like the poetry of relics that we find in Eugenio Montale, becomes a bearer of memory and evokes deep emotions.
“In all, thousands of items were displayed under glass as if in a museum. I could literally feel the passion, the expertise, that had been put into this space. Such reverence.”
Howard Schult, former Starbucks CEO
“Dreams do take commitment, but they are worth it"“With this book and with our Foundation,” the authors continue, “we hope to help keep interest in these specialized stores alive and to fuel the curiosity of younger generations, encouraging them to venture out with their own workshop, no matter the size (that of Giovanni Lorenzi’s family was, in the beginning, a mere two meters by six) and no matter the type. What is essential is their passion and enthusiasm as they strive to achieve their dreams with constant action and commitment.”
