Story
Scarperia Zuava Knife, is an ancient knife whose name recalls that of an ancient French military body "the Zouaves", equipped with a blade very similar to this, also called "French". Exclusively handmade since the late 1800s and the undisputed symbol of the centennial tradition of making knives in Scarperia, it is still a pocket knife and work tool and not a defense weapon. Object essential for cut, eat, to work and hunt, an intimate friend from whom we were not separated, was jealously guarded and considered very personal and accompanied entire generations in daily life until it became completely useless; still today it exercises its inexplicable, mysterious and fascinating attraction. The knife Zuava is remained unchanged al pass over the years it is still reproduced today respecting its shape and materials.
Structure
The shape of the Zuava knife is very close to that of the Florentine, but the handle has a metal structure, while the horn is only used to make the cheeks in two separate pieces. The handle of the Zuava is made up of two thin metal plates between which the dorsal spring is interposed, which also acts as a spacer to form the compartment in which the blade fits. The lower end is shaped in a curl, while the upper part is made of metal, but it is not a band superimposed on the horn, but two shaped tiles (called "solid") that are directly in contact with the plates of the structure. The pivot of the blade passes through the "sodi", on which it is pressed and left a little protruding, the two horn cheeks are fixed with three or four rivets filed at par.
Zuava today
Today the experience and the availability of raw and unique materials allow us to create and interpret the Zuava in several guises, leaving the soul and essence of the knife unchanged but, adapting it both in size and in materials, to the needs of the collector or to customize it. according to the customer's requests and for the context in which it will be used, these reasons have pushed us and stimulate us to a continuous search for materials, giving life to new versions of our knife such as Zuava with the Corkscrew of master cutler Piero Bartolini, Zuava of Pilgrim, Zuava deer with lily and finally the Zuava Origin, unique precious objects made to last over time.
The Zuava Bartolini knife
The Zuava knife with corkscrew it was designed and built by the master cutler Piero Bartolini. The reinterpretation of the Zuava symbol of Scarperia with the addition of a simple but effective mechanism to open a bottle, does not alter the shape and does not change the use of the knife but adds this practical, easy-to-use feature. The unique corkscrew system is the added value of this work, also appreciated by many Sommeliers. This special knife made of Deer Horn is available on request also in other variants, in horn ox, buffalo, deer and in various kinds of woods precious, like olive wood or boxwood.
Zuava in deer horn with lily
The Zuava is an ancient knife of the Scarperian tradition, still used today for various needs of the most modern daily life and for those who like to collect them and use their own knife. The Zuava in horn of deer with hand engraved lily, is distinguished from the classic version in deer, for the particular engraving of the effigy of Florence, coat of arms of the Florentine city and of Scarperia, on the side of the handle. The incision of the lily is made on the whitened part of the deer and colored with a particular ink. A real pocket jewel, a piece of high craftsmanship.
The pilgrim's Zuava
The Zuava's Pilgrim, past and present of an ancient knife rich in history and traditions, owes its name to a French military body of the time. An indispensable tool for man since ancient times, it still exercises its inexplicable mysterious attraction today as an object steeped in history, a close friend from whom we were not separated.
A symbolic and spiritual knife
The Zuava's pilgrim wants to represent the symbolic and spiritual union of an object created to cut, work and accompany man on his life journey and, in this case, also to pray in front of the cross depicted in the handle; cross that appears overturned with the knife closed, when opened instead, planted in wood or bread before consuming it, allows you to have the cross in the right position.
Its particularity
The handle in buffalo horn is characterized of 7 tacks in silver, 7 like the deadly sins, on the 440c steel blade are instead representative of the pilgrim's concha and the arrow to recall the symbols that guide the journey. To kit a jute bag and a compound rosary of 10 grains of black onyx. The pilgrims who passed along the spiritual paths certainly had a knife in their pocket and who knows if any of them had a knife of this type with them.
We like to imagine it and that is why today we have designed and made this jewel to collect entirely by hand in Scarperia, and why not to take along your wonderful paths, a unique object full of meanings, born from the splendid collaboration of Andrea Vierucci , Alessandro Conti and Fabio Gasparrini. "Tourist is someone who passes without load or direction, a walker who has taken the backpack and walks, Pellegrino who, in addition to looking, knows how to kneel when necessary". San Riccardo - Year domini 1299 Viterbo.
The Zuava Origin
The Zuava knife was born as an indispensable object of man, at the beginning of the last century in Scarperia, used to eat, cut, work and hunt, a humble tool to keep in your pocket, it was jealously guarded and considered very personal. Tradition and vocation have it that the Zuava was born for a rural use, the knife that accompanied people in the fields and in everyday life, made to resist and last over time, the Zuava of Scarperia now with a century on its shoulders marks the change of times with new and refined workings.
The Zuava Origin today
We wanted to interpret the spirit of the Zuava that was made a century ago by optimizing the few materials that were available. The Zuava Origin like all the others, it is a simple spring knife, shod and folding, the blade is well sharpened and sturdy made with 440c stainless steel, for the handle we use the best natural ox and buffalo horns, not polished and expertly worked hand as per tradition. The Zuava Origine is available in three different sizes, from 16.5 cm, of 19.5 cm and from 25 cm open, suitable for all uses.
All our Zuave can be made with various materials, such as ox and buffalo horn, deer horn, elk and ivory, as well as various and precious woods such as olive, rosewood, boxwood, ebony and snake wood. The love and passion for our work pushes us to create customized Zuave both in shapes and sizes with the possibility of making the blade unique with a hand-made engraving.
"When a man grabs a knife, an ancient memory of the collective consciousness emerges"
"A knife is an ancestral experience, it is the first weapon and the first tool invented by man"
"Man chipped the flint, well before inventing the wheel, and no matter how sophisticated we become: a knife takes you back to your origins"
