This natural choice of excellent leather reflects not only an awareness of materials and the value of quality, but also echoes the colours of the land that change their vibrant tones of brown and red with the passing of the seasons. Coloured by hand with water-soluble mordant dyes to obtain a warmer, more mature, luminous effect, the leather takes on different hues and shades, and is destined to become even more beautiful the older it gets. Using a process based on the knowledge of centuries-old techniques, books, diaryes, daily journal and photograph albums in leather are sewn by hand on the loom with string or ribbing; the spines are prepared to bring out the ribbing formed during the sewing, and then they are glued using vegetable dyes and smoothed on the press to perfect the projecting edge of the book cover. The inside is made with handmade acid-free paper made using a slow and laborious process very similar to that used 700 years ago and which, at the end, results in something that feels and looks very special. The sheets of hand-made paper that are sewn and bound are pressed and dried in a drying press, then they are attached to the leather covers that have already been stripped and bound, covered and decorated. The antique irons of the bookbinder, the stamps, palettes and wheels are heated in the fire and used to hand press antique symbols and fragments of ancient writing into the leather, like those in the Ikuvina line, which is inspired by the famous Eugubine Tablets. Renaissance decorations and designs are reproduced in the Signa collection, sometimes made even more precious by the application of gold leaf. The entire process is carried out with great care, to ensure the highest quality. The craftsman's skill goes together with the most expert hands and the use of traditional techniques. These, together with imagination and good taste produce new designs, inlaying and combinations of material. Like the leather and lustre ceramics for example, in the Pretiosa collection, which takes its inspiration from the town's excellent ceramic tradition to create elegant and refined articles. The Antiqua, Signa Pretiosa and other collections are inspired by different things, but have something in common: the manual ability of the craftsman who is able to transform materials into unique products, one different from another, each with its own markings, tones, distinct characteristics, softness, each unlike any other. Respecting a culture that listens passionately to the subtle voices of the past, which is present in the architecture to be found there, our daily challenge is to always let the things we make speak and tell a story. Our intention is to transmit feelings and desires in objects that satisfy the heart and the mind, going beyond hurried consumption and beyond the principle of what is useful, because they are neither superfluous nor essential, they are beautiful and precious, to keep and to treasure. It is with these characteristics that Officina Libris opens itself to the world and to exchanges with other cultures that are thousands of years old. It focuses on the quality of the materials used, on beauty and also on the unique quality of the articles that represent the style, taste and elegance of what is made in Italy.