Characterful creations

• • Pierluigi represents the third generation
• • He learned his skills from his grandfather
• • He finds iron soft and malleable to work

Pierluigi Prata's first living memory of metal work is of his grandfather working and shaping iron. He always has him at the back of his mind. He was just a child when he first began helping 'nonno' Antonio in his workshop. He still remembers his grandfather’s calloused hands. Pierluigi likes recalling the fact that nonno Antonio “liked being a blacksmith because he felt it was a male craft, strong”, when working and shaping a raw material, he found it empowering. His grandfather passed on to Pierluigi the love for the craft and the ability to see the softness of iron, a material known for its strength and hardness. It was the way his grandfather used to mould the iron that made it seem soft.