#87

Seven generations of blacksmiths and metalworkers in one family

15 February 2023

Master forging in Tuscany

A stairwell made of corten steel expanded metal

Just hands. Two hands which reflect hard work - in fact, reflect a life itself. They appear when the website of Officine Ragnini is called up. Something which does not happen often on the Internet happens with this image: These hands are so impressive that you don't want to click further. They belong to the blacksmith Urbino Ragnini. Like his father, his son and grandson Federico Ragnini, he has a passion for working with metal. Federico Ragnini continues this family tradition. This time he used MEVACO expanded metal made from corten steel and together with his wife Sabrina Bellini created an amazing stairwell.

Product data

Expanded metal
rhomb 62x20x7
Corten steel
2.0 mm

A family completely dedicated to the art of forging

Working where other people go on their holidays - this statement is relevant here: Metalworker Federico Ragnini lives in southern Tuscany with his wife Sabrina and their three children in the picturesque town of Pitigliano, which looks exactly like such places should look in Tuscany. "Life slows down here", says Federico Ragnini - even though he is one of the most successful metalworkers far and wide. It's in Ragninis' blood: From great-grandfather Antonio to grandfather Urbino to Federico's father Sanzio, the line of blacksmiths and metalworks is unbroken. Prior to that they worked with iron: The family can look back on seven generations of blacksmiths.

Corten steel and rust belong together

And yet there's always something new to discover, all avenues are nowhere near exhausted, which the millennia-old tradition of forging reveals. "My wife and I are fascinated by rust because it expresses another side of the very resilient material iron, i.e. the more decorative side. When it came to building a stairwell at the office, the MEVACO expanded metal made of corten steel gave us the opportunity to be creative with the colourful effects of rust."

A stairwell made entirely of corten steel

The metalworking company OFFICINE RAGNINI manufactures custom furniture, mostly one-offs, as well as made-to-measure window frames in galvanised steel and other precious metals such as corten, stainless steel and brass. Everything is made by a team of excellent blacksmiths, who meet the most exacting requirements. The clients often include well-known architects and designers, who rely on the experience of OFFICINE RAGNINI for restoration work or the renovation of private villas or museums. On that note the main staircase in the middle of the building was to reflect the artistic and pioneering spirit of the company.

Expanded metal, rhomb has a transparent and lightweight effect

"From the outside the structure looks well-fortified, as is known from the Tuscan architecture. By contrast, from the inside everything is transparent, light and open", says Federico Ragnini. "The wonderful colours changing between orange and brown on the surface of the MEVACO expanded metal, rhomb 62x20x7, corten steel in bridge thickness 2.0, which are the result of the different incidences of light throughout the day, are a real eyecatcher. In any case the corten steel will change its colour spectrum over time. It is a very lively material!"

Corten steel combined with Sicilian stone

Federico Ragnini and his wife Sabrina are fascinated not only by iron. Wood, clay, leather and stone are also raw materials that can be found throughout Tuscany and are used by the creative couple. However, for the steps they decided on a stone from Sicily. "The combination of an evenly dark grey colour with the corten steel creates a beautiful contrast and highlights the nuances!", says Federico Ragnini, gushing about his wife's successful design. Sabrina Gellini is responsible for the company's interior design with the aptly named "Ruggine", which means rust. This is also the name of the two shops which the Ragninis operate in the old town of Pitigliano and in Bobbio.

Collaboration with MEVACO?

Precise, efficient, fast. Is it possible to express the love of rust any clearer? Hardly. Federico Ragnini has nothing but praise for the cooperation with MEVACO: "We already used material from MEVACO for some museum buildings. The company is far away from us, but in this day and age such distances are thankfully no longer a problem. The option to configure and put together the material online was a huge help. We are impressed by the precision and good organisation. Everything runs perfectly and is efficient and quick. And we hadn't one bit of difficulty when it came to processing the expanded metal. All dimensions matched, everything could be easily processed." After so much praise, is it possible to add anything else? Perhaps a yearning to want to go on holiday there sometime - where Federico Ragnini and his wife Sabrina work and live.