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Duccio and Alamberto Banchi | Bronze Artists

The story of Florentine bronze artisan, Alamberto Banchi, is in many ways both familiar and extraordinary – and in 1987 was published as a tribute to craftsmanship by the Cultural Commissioner of Florence. Today, with son, Duccio, Alamberto continues to create wonders in bronze at their renowned family-run workshops in the city, where the community views them as both makers, and custodians of Florence’s cultural and artisanal legacy.

Though, like many apprentices, Alamberto Banchi began his craft in a workshop at a young age, the 13-year-old – largely to ease his mother's concerns – promised to keep a diary, practicing calligraphy each night after work. Page after page, he chronicled his days: the expectations, surprises, lessons, and characters of an ordinary bottega.

Decades later, in 1987, the Cultural Commissioner of Florence discovered this childhood journal and published it as a tribute to craftsmanship. A private notebook, once kept only to comfort a mother, became a literary testament to a vanishing craft. 

The now-renowned workshop on Via dei Serragli, Florence, would years later pass to his son, Duccio, who has been safeguarding and evolving his father’s craft since 1993 with equal parts curiosity, discipline and gentleness. During the two hours Cabana spent in their studio, a steady stream of clients dropped by (some only to exchange greetings): a testament to the enduring bond between the father-and-son pair, and a community that views them as custodians of Florence’s cultural and artisanal legacy.

How did you begin?

Alamberto: "I didn’t want to study, and to convince my mother to let me leave school, I promised I would keep a diary to practice handwriting. With a nib and ink, I wrote every day and kept the diary in a drawer here in the workshop. Many years later, a client of mine saw the diary and decided to publish it as a tribute to craftsmanship. 

"Rino Nakajima, a Japanese professor at the University of Florence, bought the book and wrote about it for a Japanese airline magazine. An editor read the article, contacted me and asked for the publishing rights — he wanted to turn my diary into a novel! In 1995 my little diary became an illustrated novel, published in Japan."

How did you learn?

A: "I began at 13 years old as an apprentice in a workshop in the heart of Florence. Like all aspiring artisans at the time, we offered our work in exchange for training. 

"When my master retired, I decided to take over the workshop. Back then, the city was filled with bronze artisans — today, only five remain. I am now 92, and I still come every morning to assist my son, Duccio, who took over the workshop in 1993."

How do you plan, prepare, and create your works?

Duccio: "The process depends on the client. Some purchase finished pieces, but often they ask us to reproduce or design objects, or even create models. Most of our work requires a foundry; once cast, the object becomes a semi-finished piece that will then be entirely hand-chiseled. Each chiseler makes his own tools, including the "subulino", the essential instrument used to sharpen and refine the design.

"Once the mechanical phases are complete, the finishing is chosen — from aged brass to natural brass, or the most precious option of all: gilding. Gilding requires a specialist, who also manages the environmental processes linked to it."

Who or what influences your work?

D: "Inspiration often comes through dialogue with clients, but sometimes I collect objects that intrigue me and transform them. For example, I once found turtle shells and recreated their bodies in bronze. Any fragment of antiquity can spark my imagination. Recently, I turned a small donkey figurine, originally carrying wood, into a cigar holder."

What does a typical day look like?

D: "Our work unfolds entirely in the workshop, except when delivering or collecting pieces from the foundry or gilder. The least pleasant aspect of the trade is the administrative and legal management. The most rewarding is that, although we remain rooted here on Via dei Serragli, it is the people who arrive — bringing ideas, conversation, and laughter — who make each day different.

A: "We have clients who have worked with us for decades and their loyalty is a joy. In 1950, Christian Dior visited the workshop to commission frames; then he remained a client until the 1990s. He came to Tuscany to source wood, leather, and bronze.

What career would you have pursued if you were not a craftsperson?

D: "Had I not inherited this workshop, I would certainly have taken another path. As a child, I did not want to work with my father; I wanted to be elsewhere.

"I dreamt of traveling, but in the end, all the people who travel eventually come here. This is my consolation. And though the work may seem monotonous, tied as it is to one place, every day is different."

Interview by Camilla Bonuglia

Images from Camilla Bonuglia and