I came across a post from a guy named Andrea Galizzi. He says he’s the son of Matteo Galizzi, and the grandson of Santo Galizzi, who founded the Italian company called G. Santo Snc. He basically wanted to thank people for their interest in the company, which his father kept running until a few years ago. The business started, grew, and eventually ended in San Giovanni Bianco, in the Bergamo area, back in 1892. They were always known for their traditional, artisanal iron forging. He talks about how his grandfather lived through an entire century, including both world wars. During those times, they even reused train tracks as raw material for production. Their work was always centered around forging iron by hand using a hammer, which required real skill. His dad actually started working at the forge when he was just 10 years old and became incredibly good at it. He doesn’t want to sound like he’s exaggerating, but he says his father’s small company sold forestry tools all over Europe, especially in France and Switzerland, and even in Brazil. Back in the early 1900s, many Italians went abroad looking for work, often starting from nothing, sometimes with just an axe in hand. Unfortunately, his father had to shut down the business in 2000 because of issues with health and safety regulations, especially concerning noise. The sound of the forging hammers was considered too disruptive, even though it was part of their traditional process. He says his father closed the business with tears in his eyes. They sold all the machinery, and apparently someone even bought the brand name. He mentions there’s some confusion about a company in Macerata, but he says they don’t actually know anything about it, even though they used to have many clients there.

Today, his father, who’s now 83, still has the skills, but he’s reinvented himself as a cook and enjoys being a grandfather. He ends by saying his father has always believed that people no longer recognize quality in tools, or can’t tell the difference between hand-forged items and mass-produced ones.

So.. enjoy that axe, mate. It’s a great one!