• 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.”