Giancarlo Rossi

Woodturner

©Giancarlo Rossi

©Elisa Gobbi Frattini

©Giancarlo Rossi

The spirit of Tuscany distilled on a lathe

Giancarlo took over his father’s business at the age of 19
His workshop is one of the favourite destinations for visitors in Cortona
He is well known for his woodturned fruits, chalices and candlesticks

The cobbled streets of the charming Tuscan town of Cortona are home to the workshop of Giancarlo Rossi, an inventive woodturner, who carries on a tradition initiated by his grandfather in 1929. “I learned all the secrets of the craft from my father. I still treasure the first piece of wood I cut with a saw when I was only four years old. At the age of six, I started carving the blocks of wood left over from my father's work. Later, as a teenager, I began using the lathe.” Giancarlo cultivates many interests, including painting, a talent he inherited from his American mother. But woodturning remains his greatest love: “I employ only seasoned wood, and thanks to the techniques developed in our workshop, I can achieve very fine thicknesses. For the polishing I use the French finish, a procedure that requires a considerable amount of patience and skill.”

Interview

©Giancarlo Rossi

©Elisa Gobbi Frattini

Why did you decide to follow in your father’s footsteps?: Along with my passion for this craft, I felt it my duty to preserve the skills, know how and tools dating back to even before my grandfather opened his workshop. My father nurtured these here in Italy and in Quebec, where he emigrated when he was young.
How does the territory of Cortona influence your work?: Local wood species that were indispensable for the rural economy, such as olive, maple and acacia, find new uses in my workshop. Shapes and colours of the past, from Etruscan metals to Beato Angelico’s paintings, are what sparks ideas for new creations.
What aspects of your work do you like the most?: The best part is probably giving the final touches to a piece I am working on. I also enjoy getting to know the many people who come to Cortona from all over the world and stumble across my workshop by chance.
How would you define your profession?: To me it is more than just a job: it is a lifestyle. It calls for time and concentration, not only for the pace of production, but also in order to preserve one's manual dexterity and the memory of how things should be made.

Giancarlo Rossi is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2015