There are ancient trades that survive technological progress and uninterrupted production typical of the industrial era, and Romagna-Tuscany is the setting for one of these “miracles”.
In fact, in Dovadola there is an extraordinary artisan tradition: here is the workshop of the liutist Foscolo Lombardi, whose activity, founded by his grandfather in 1876, was initially oriented to the production of wheels for agricultural wagons, barrels and wooden plows. Nowadays Lombardi is one of the last luthiers present in Romagna. The wood processing is practiced exclusively by hand and is marked by ancient rhythms. And it is precisely by following this slow motion of time that various musical instruments such as violas, violins, cellos, double basses and mandolins are made.
The instruments are built in an environment of timeless charm: the shop is full of works by Lombardi, ranging from stone sculptures to those made of wood. The typical tools of the trade, which are located inside the laboratory, are the most disparate and some are even the result of the ingenuity and skill of the violin maker himself.
The artistic and human sensibility of this craftsman is admirable: great attention is paid during the selection phase of the materials, just as the dedication that he puts during the creation of an instrument is enormous. For Lombardi, the legacy he received as a gift from his grandfather and his father was fundamental: an indispensable know-how that he was able to rework and make profitable.