Since we always celebrate the spirit of craftsmanship at Villa Pandolfini in creating wonderful traditional dishes of Tuscany, I devised a secret plan to surprise my guests with another equally exciting place. After a delectable meal made under the instructions of our innovative chefs, Liza and Maurizo and completed with a hands-on experience by our guests, we chatted and laughed amicably in our historical kitchen. I told my guests that they had done a great job besides learning something new and I said that they deserved a reward for their efforts. My guests were so excited and could not wait to see the surprise that I had planned for them. I announced that they would go on a small excursion, but only I knew where!

So they followed me, chattering and whispering, wondering where we were going. We walked from Villa Pandolfini admiring the scenery and crossed the bridge over the River Arno. Then after ten minutes, I turned into the Museo della Paglia e dell'Intreccio "Domenico Michelacci" – Signa. My guests were intrigued and looked around in awe. Then as silence fell over our group, my guests were totally amazed to learn that they were actually standing in a place that unraveled the art of straw plaiting and its varied uses. This skilled handicraft was foreign to them and they traveled back in time to absorb and appreciate the manufacture and evolution from tempering the plain straw to its versatile creations.

Our little group was amazed as the mists of time took them to the 1500s when straw plaiting was popular in Tuscany. As this activity grew, it spread to Florence and in the beginning of the 18th century through the countryside of the "Piana", at Campo Bisenzio, Sesto Fiorentino, Brozzi and also in Prato, Empoli, Quarrata and to the Signe region. The factories at Fiesole tried out innovative methods of plaiting called, ‘bigheri’ or ‘bigherini’, Swiss-type of plaits, mixed with horsehair, cotton and silk. In Wolhen in Argovia the peasants were already plaiting stalks of rye even in the 1400s. As the production and commerce of straw grew by the 1600s, many of the Swiss factories moved to Florence that was known for its expertise.“But who is Domenico Michelacci? His name is mentioned here,” asked Tara, one of our English guests. I told her that though straw hats were probably made from the 14th century, it was Domenico Michelacci from Bologna who settled in Signa in 1714, who was the innovative entrepreneur responsible for the manufacture of the popular straw hats. Domenico Michelacci learned the new methods of cultivating and harvesting wheat that gave the opportunity for the production of plait-able straw or ‘intreccio’. Soon Signa became the center for this production and the industry soon spread to Lastra a Signa, Montelupo, Campi Bisenzio, Sesto Fiorentino, Prato, Montale, Carmignano, Poggio a Caiano, Malmantile, Quarrata, Empoli, Fiesole and Impruneta. Bearing the prestigious trademark of "Made in Florence", these hats were shipped to the far corners of the earth, down the River Arno, through the port of Leghorn.

Soon more than 80,000 straw manufacturing units mushroomed through the Tuscan region by the end of the 18th century. From 1924 to 1925-26, more than 142 million straw hats were made and Signa became an important part of the economy of Tuscany. “This is so interesting!” exclaimed Henri, one of the cooking class guests. I told him that this was the reason that the Museum was established so that the authorities could house a venue for the collecting, studying, restoration, conservation and exhibition besides being a cultural center of a traditional craft. The Township and the "Gruppo Archeologico Signese" would together promote the ‘Treccia’ with a library, research center, international meetings and conventions that would explore the history of this extraordinary art and educate the world.

Did you know that the expression, ‘Mad as a Hatter’ originated from the workshops of felt hats? This is how a felt hat is made. First only specific breeds of rabbit or hares are chosen. If the hat is to be made from beaver skin, then it would require plucking of the coarse guard hairs from the beaver pelt and brushed with a solution of nitrate of mercury. This process raises the scales on the fur shafts resulting in a firmly locked stage. Known as "carotting", the process if done in a badly ventilated room would increase mercury fumes which could damage the brain, and that’s how the expression "mad as a hatter" originated. Then the fibers would be cut from the skin and placed on a bench in a workroom known as the "hurdle". The fibers called a hatter's bow would be suspended over the bench like a huge violin bow and the fibers would respond like the vibrations of a bow controlled by the craftsmen and eventually separating and becoming evenly distributed till it forms into a thick but loosely woven or structured mat called the "batt". The batts are taken and shaped into a cone and reduced in size by boiling and rolling to create a firm dense felt. The hood would then be sent to the hatter who would mould it to the required shape and then line and finish it.

One of the most important stages in felt hat making is forming a cone and placing the necessary amount of fur on top of the forming chamber or an upright cylindrical compartment inside which a one-meter high copper cone is placed. The cone has perforations and revolves slowly as an exhaust fan is placed under it which sucks the air and the loose fur into the chamber below and onto the revolving cone. This process creates a matt of loosely interwoven fibers. The cone is then immersed in a vat of very hot water, which shrinks the fibers initiating the felting process. The loose layer of fur is removed from the cone. Though the unfinished felt hat is bigger than the final one, it is subjected to many processes like, folding, dipping in hot water and then finally put through rollers, which squeeze out the excess fluid, which increases the felting process. Then the Hood Blocking process happens where the felt hoods are placed over wooden blocks made from the American Poplar tree whose bark is not grained. This is an expensive process as every block costs two hundred pounds, as hat blocks have to be made into different sizes and shapes and with the creation of new styles the production investment increases.

Now the Flanging stage starts, which is the forming or creating the brim. At first the brim is ironed and then cut to the necessary width and placed on a wooden flange and ironed again, dried and pressed. After this, the Stiffening and Sanding process begins. Shellac is applied to the brim according to the style of the design with more shellac applied if the brim needs to be stiffer. In cases such as fur-felt hoods, a smaller quantity is applied as compared to wool felts. Then the hat is sanded till it acquires a smooth texture that is characteristic of soft fur felt hats. The last stage involves Trimming with insertion of an inner leather band or lining of material and a matching outer band. This is a very important stage as it determines the character of the hat and its wearer. Many additions and accessories can characterize this feature to create a sense of style, individualism and the going trends”.

We made our way back to the Villa Pandolfini in the twilight and everything looked as soft and inviting as a felt hat. I pulled my felt hat closer and said that I felt privileged to be a Florentine. I am sure my guests experienced an education that exposed and illuminated an ancient craft that has survived the test of time and remains today a priceless and artistic tradition.