Artisan Spotlight - Consigli Family in Scarperia

In the less-traveled region of Tuscany called the Mugello, you will find the small town of Scarperia, which is famous for artisan cutlery. In fact, the production of knives in Scarperia started in the 1400s and, today, several family-run workshops continue the tradition. The Consigli family continues to handcraft knives of the highest quality using local products such as cow horn and olive wood.

Consigli Family Storefront in ScarperiaConsigli Family Workshop

Regional Italian Pocket Knives

Massimo is a collector of pocket knives so he is particularly passionate about the incredible line of regional pocket knives produced by the Consigli family.

 Regional Italian Pocket Knives made by Consigli

Many of the pocket knifes have fascinating stories about their origin. For example, the Mozzetta pocket knife.

Mozzetta Pocket Knife made by Consigli

The Mozzetta knife owes its name to its cropped point, which looks as though the blade has been cut off (the Italian verb mozzare means to cut off). Knives without points became popular in Italy after a law was passed in 1908 which imposed strict limits on carrying knifes with sharp tips and encouraged the production of various knife models with cut-off points. 

Another knife with an interesting origin story is the Anconetano pocket knife.

Anconetano Pocket Knife made by Consigli

The Anconetano is their version of the fisherman's knife typical of the central Adriatic coast of Italy. Its distinctive feature is the flat spring fixed to the outside, on the spine of the handle that makes it easy to clean. The small notch in the metal spine, which is visible when the knife is closed, was once used for mending fishing nets. 

Be sure to explore our artisan cutlery section for more compelling stories and great finds.


Heather Dempsey
Heather Dempsey

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