The little town of Agnone, nestled in the Apennine hills in Alto Molise, home of my ancestors, hides a very proud heritage of artisan craft. Here, you’ll find the oldest bell foundry in the world, and the only one by Papal appointment. Beyond that, you’ll discover the main industry of the town which brought it wealth and prosperity during the Middle Ages: copper.

Today, sadly, most of the workshops are silent, but at one time the centro storico buzzed with the sound of little hammers deftly refining and decorating the many utensils and vessels. There were once 13 copper foundries and over 300 family botteghe – Agnone was not a town of peasants, but of artisans.