Sesto Fiorentino’s Library

FESCH.TV INFORMIERT:

The Italian town of Sesto Fiorentino has known human settlement as far back as Mesolithic times, c. 9,000 BC but was named as a town proper by the Romans (“the sixth mile from the town milestone”).

In 1735, Marquis Carlo Ginori founded one of the first porcelain plants in Europe, the Manifattura di Doccia. Now under the name Richard-Ginori, the company is still located in Sesto, and is the largest porcelain manufacturer in Italy.

The original factory has long been abandoned and nearly destroyed during WWII. A few years ago, town officials decided to restore the building and turn it into the town library. It is a slow, painstaking, and very expensive process since it was decided to maintain the original 18th century style and elegance. Hence, only the central part has thus been restored.

My good friend and photographic colleague Flavio Igori Klee invited me to participate in a photo documentary project. The only caveat was we had to do the whole project with our iPhones. Flavio and I spent an entire day photographing the library and combing through the adjacent ruins, which await further restoration.