Today I had a different experience from the classic activities that can be found. An “old-fashioned” typography workshop with Martina. A young girl, graphic designer who after years of experience “on the computer” has decided to devote herself to printing in movable type by doing an immense job of recovering, cleaning and organizing the material. Martina welcomes us to her laboratory which is also her home with a big smile that gives confidence to those who approach the material for the first time.   She explains what we will do, she leaves us free to decide what to print and her hands move certain in the room.

Music is on background, coffee also arrives and after deciding the subject we experiment the search for the characters in the wooden drawers punctured here and there .. it is not pointillism but the evil worms always lurking! The smell of paper and ink envelops the room, you laugh a lot, and you relax a lot working with your hands on the project, choosing the margins and experiencing an extremely creative but at the same time rigid art. Creative because everyone can write whatever they want, rigid because the result is what they have in mind, you must be careful to choose and order the typefaces learning to use the hand press, the roller, the composer. The result is a two-tone, energetic, majestic print but above all an artisan experience that gives a great sense of well-being and satisfaction.

Dirty hands, the smell of paper, traditions to be preserved.

Thanks Martina, it is worth booking a vacation here just to get to meet you and take part in this experience.

You can find the “Tipografa toscana” on Instagram, Facebook and her web site is: https://www.latipografatoscana.it/