In the Mastro Livi laboratory on the outskirts of Perugia there is a forge that burns and keeps that flame alive, which began to generate sparks when the then boy Lido, representative of the fifth generation of master blacksmith forgers of his family, climbed onto the grindstone to admire that show of lights that still enchants him today and which was the passion of his life, the processing of steel.

The story of Mastro Lido Livi So just a few kilometers from one of the most famous furnaces in the world, that of the Ternane steelworks, which boasts the production of high quality steel, there is one which is infinitely smaller in comparison, but which he tries to challenge the world like «a boxer in the ring who, having crossed the threshold of eighty, waits for an opponent ready to fight, but no one has shown up yet».

Among the most famous in the world Well yes, because Livi, a blacksmith and forge now known from Japan to the United States by that niche of enthusiasts of steel products such as razors and scissors, can boast, after an entire life dedicated to the manufacturing and knowledge of steel, of being the creator of a martensitic hardening stainless steel damask (with a greater quantity of carbon, to give more hardness), unique in the world.

Japan in Umbria Among Mastro Livi's sheets of metal, in fact, you can smell the smell of Japan: «Come and I'll show you the zebra finish of my damask on the katana I'm building». Having passed the threshold of eighty years and having left the reins of his work to his son Luca (sixth generation of master blacksmiths forging) for some time now, Lido has decided to dedicate himself body and soul to the creation of his second katana.

Tested by the Samurai The first, of which he has now lost track, was forged about 40 years ago, but today there is a deeper spirituality. And the craftsman wants to bring the entire project to completion, including the Amboina briar case from Cambodia. The dream, however, is another: to have it tested by some Katana master in order to proudly crown a life and career entirely dedicated to steel.

A katana to fulfill his dream A new challenge, therefore, after a long, especially spiritual preparation. And now the time has come to make the katana, according to the traditional methods of Japanese blacksmiths, which inspired the master Lido Livi, marked by very long times and meticulous attention to every detail. The blade, in fact, must be strong, thin and elastic, while the steel part that makes up the neck must be rigid and resistant. «If a samurai's katana breaks, he takes the wakizashi (the sword he wears on his belt, ed.) and does harakiri, that is, kills himself, because he experiences the incident as a profound and irremediable defeat».

«On the internet they had given me up for dead» Then there is a strange parenthesis in the life of Mastro Livi. «Many people gave me up for dead, we discovered it on the internet with my son, someone – he says – probably had fun spreading this rumor out of envy, but I am alive and well and this katana is proof of this». Every day the master is dedicating himself to this artefact which he is making with his own damask, passing from fire to water and vice versa in a continuous process of heat and cold, the so-called 'tempering', which allows the steel to become more robust, and every day with the meticulousness of a surgeon he analyzes the thickness of the blade and the neck and not least the beauty of the zebra fibre, with the blue veins characteristic of his damask which constitutes his true pride.

The offer in Germany and the choice to stay Finally, Lido tells an anecdote from his life, which makes his voice tremble: «As a boy I received a letter of employment from one of the most recognized brands in the world, they wanted me to work for them , I was just a young man from the suburbs of Perugia. There I understood that I was on the right path and I have always been grateful for that gesture, it gave me the strength to believe even more in what was my project. I was tempted to move to Germany to accept that proposal, but I couldn't leave my homeland, I love Italy and I wanted to work on my projects. The choice to give up – says Master Lidi in hindsight – rewarded me, I made my razors and scissors of the highest quality and my steel, unique in the world, was appreciated and recognized just as I imagined and still represents a competitive product. all over the world." Mastro Livi is one of the many small stories that have made Italy great.

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