info@cartieracrisa.it
+39 340 534 0459
We are Francesco and Giuseppe, two twin brothers. Together we created our company, Crisa La Carta a Mano, an artisan paper mill that produces paper using very old techniques, with our hands, a loom and a lot of passion!
Our product stands out for its quality, the possibility of personalisation and the fact that the production process is environmentally friendly at every stage.
Copyright © 2023 Cartiera Crisa by Crisa La Carta a Mano. All rights reserved. P.I. 01304940867
How could we reconcile our passion for handmade paper with our desire to return to Sicily? We decided to bring this craft to the heart of Sicily and, more specifically, to Leonforte, our home town.
Our aim? To stay in our land, to work hard and contribute to our territory, trying the adventure of emigration in reverse.
Our journey into the world of crafts began in Florence, where we both studied Art History. After graduating, we had the good fortune to meet two associations that allowed us to discover the value and potential of craftsmanship, made up of skill, care and passion.
The two associations that mentored us are the Osservatorio dei Mestieri d'Arte, which since 2001 has been promoting the artisan sector and promoting the realities of craft throughout the peninsula, and the Atelier degli Artigianelli in Florence, which aims to spread, through courses, workshops and meetings aims to spread the knowledge and skills of the crafts related to the world of paper.
Training
"Paper on Paper" was our first stop on out training trip we took: at the Atelier degli Artigianelli in Florence, we attended a course as part of an Erasmus+ programme. The course enabled us to acquire skills and experience in handmade papermaking, sheet decoration using the glued paper technique, and bookbinding.
With these basic skills, and now completely captivated by this art, we decided to take off and move to Fabriano to attend a more demanding vocational course, tailor-made for us, at the International School of Arts and Crafts in the Zona Conce complex.
Here we learnt, directly from experienced papermakers and papermaking masters, the techniques and manual skills of the trade and how to manage all the production phases of an artisan paper mill.
In order to set up the company, we took part in the "YES I start up - business start-up training", a course organised by Euroteam Progetti, which gave us the necessary skills to turn our business idea into reality.
Our brand
Where does the name we chose for our activity come from?
Crisa is the river goddess of the ancient river that flows near Leonforte.
From the Greek Krysòs, golden, the river has always been a source of fertility and wealth for the whole valley. The Arabs renamed it Dittaino, the river that flows through the golden valley, because of the colour of the abundant wheat grown there.
The main ingredient in paper making is water, and we thought there could be no better link between our activity and the land on which it is grafted.
The River Crisa is also a symbol and motif of fertility, so we chose it as a reminder of productivity and abundance, an omen that we hope will accompany us throughout the years.
What does our brand represent?
The graphic design echoes the back structure of a wooden frame used in handmade paper production. The wording underneath the frame clarifies the identity of our paper mill: exclusively handmade paper production.