We would like, from Bottega Fiorentina , to explain in a few words how the tanning of the leather is done, in order to give you an idea of the value and worth of the product which you will use. This .... art of tanning is a tradition which in Italy boasts many years of experience. Entire generations throughout the years have worked and learnt a very particular handling, the result of which is used today.
There are many different types of leather: (Ovino Caprine), Swine, Bovine, Equine, Rabbit etc to the exotic leather varieties which are: Croccodile, Python, Ostrich, Water Adder, Anaconda, Iguana and finishing off with various species of fish. We would like to underline that these leathers come from animals which are bred, and safeguarded by the Washinghton convention, but above all that they derive from butchers and are therefore animals that are consumed. From the slaughter-house the leathers are skinned/flayed, folded and salted, and are then put in underground pits like the old cellars for wine where there is homogeneous temperature so that the leathers do not putrify. We would like to emphasise that the raw material is also imported from other countries, for example from South Africa where the best quality lamb leather comes from, because of the climate and their diet.
Once the leathers are imported and delivered to the tannery, they are selected by qualified and experienced personnel, after which they are placed in large containers like washing machines, called Bottali. Inside these containers, the leathers are spun for about 12 hours, in warm water, lime (quicklime?) and other ingredients that remove all hair from the leather. When this first process is finished, thay are taken from the (bottale) and stripped, meaning that they are made to the right thickness from which can be derived 
a second leather skin (it is practically cut in half) which we will call crust ( which is the part underneath). It is taken back to the tannery with the other ingredients mixed by our experts (crome - vegetable, etc.) and other mixtures are added as well, such as special resines and color with liquid aniline rationed with warm water. This process will produce the base color, after which the leather will be hung to dry, and ironed by press machines. During the drying process, the leather is always at a specific temperature with relative degrees of humidity. After a few days they will be placed on (pancali) one on top of another and staked (placed under a press to soften them) and snipped to remove the parts which are, to say, out of form/shape. At the moment of the order, when for example the request is for red leather, the leathers are placed through the final coloring stage which consists in effectively passing them under a tunnel with many spray pistols. Advancing on rollers, the leathers proceed to the oven for final drying. After this stage they will again by placed under a (macchina Pedeggiatrice), which "measures" the leathers one by one, after which they are finally ready for the packaging and to be worked on as a bag, shoe, wallet, etc. All this work will have required a lot of time but certainly from the tannery the outcome is a marvellous final product which it is!
Ps: I hope I have been precise and clear in my description of how to tan leather...
(Arrivederci) and I thank the tannery Nuova Impala which has given me this opportunity.
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