The day begins early for those who practice l’arte bianca. The so-called “white art”, more commonly known as baking, is named for the artists’ medium: flour. By the time I arrive at Panificio Perdonati–on the corner of a cobble-stoned street, midway between the medieval walls that encircle Ferrara and the castle at its center–its bakers have already been at work for hours, immersed in the preservation of a tradition that has nearly 500 years of history rooted in this northern Italian town.

They are making coppia ferrarese, an intricately shaped bread that only exists here. Sergio Perdonati, the owner of the bakery, welcomes me into the kitchen. It is warm with the heat of its enormous oven and from the agile movement of the half dozen or so bakers who occupy it.