Autumn/Winter 2022

Left: Director Elena Baistrocchi,
(Image: Stefano Casati).
Below: A jacquard loom from the 1800s.
Giuseppe’s daughter Fidalma Lisio, who
would take over the company in 1954, nearly a
decade after the founder’s death, purchasing the
property which hosts the foundation’s presentday
complex at Via Benedetto Fortini 143, near
Ponte d’Ema. Fidalma is remembered as being a
battagliera – a fighter – and a woman profoundly
driven by her faith which was centred in Christian
principles and a quest for the common good. Of
practical mind and giving spirit, she created not
only a factory on a hill, but an entire village, in
which her labourers could live, work and access
resources serving their entire family. Hence, she
designed and constructed the factory, its canteen,
a church, a kindergarten, an exhibition centre
and a textiles school, not to mention employee
housing. Currently, most of the complex’s
buildings are used for education, production and
exhibition purposes, but Fidalma’s creation is the
last ‘workers village’ of its kind in the whole of
Italy. Fidalma Lisio died in 2001, a woman rooted
in tradition and ahead of her time.
Inspired by the EU-funded project ‘Shemakes’
which held its consortium seminar in Florence
this autumn, with the aim of addressing the
gender gap in the textile industry and the
importance of leadership roles for women, we
interviewed Fondazione Lisio General Director
Elena Baistrocchi, a former biologist, whose
‘scientific past’ gives her a unique perspective
on the ins and outs of craftsmanship and its
fascinating phases.
“Artisanship is a unifying force. In the apprentice
phase, trainees learn to build relationships with
someone who teaches them skills and shares
their same values. This phase is one’s first
approach, but as training continues, apprentices
choose their masters well. No one ever chooses a
92 Restoration Conversations • Autumn / Winter 2022