老式机杼守住旧日时光

In this ancient city， change comes slowly. Narrow stone streets are much as they were when the Medici family ruled more than 500 years ago. The industrial revolution， world wars， and a flood forced change， but at one factory， old ways remain.

The Antico Setificio Fiorentino， or Antique Silk Factory of Florence. Here the rhythm of mechanical looms tell of a step back in time. These noisy 19th century looms create some of the worlds finest silk fabrics for draperies and upholstery. But here， they are the new machines.

On the other side of the factory are the real pieces of history. Stefano Benelli weaves silk fabric that machines cannot create， and he does it painstakingly， one thread at a time. Above the weaver， punch cards guide the looms through intricate patterns. These looms were built in 1780， and they employ the same principles of weaving used for centuries before that. Sabine Pretsch （Factory Director）： Everything is done like it was done in…in the ancient time， but we continue to do an evolution continuously. We invent， we create continuously， but using the old looms.

When other textile manufacturers threw away their slower handlooms after World War II， that left the Setificio alone in the industry. While industrialproduced silk typically has 3-4，000 threads running in one direction on a full piece of fabric， the silk produced on the antique handlooms has 12，000 threads. Thats up to four times as many allowing for strength without twisting， and the untwisted threads reveal the full prism effect of the silk.

Even before the weaving begins， silk threads are processed on machines nearly as old as the handlooms， going back 150 years. Then the threads are prepared differently depending on whether theyre for the weft， or width of the fabric， or warp， the lengthwise portion. For the weft， threads are wound again carefully so theyre not twisted. For the warp the threads are combined， but， again， not twisted.

Fabric from the Setificio cant be found in stores or catalogues. Every damask and brocade is custom made. And what may seem like difficult， repetitive monotony to some， is enjoyable to Benelli.

Stefano Benelli （Weaver）： …to the mind， its OK. Not stressful， yeah…

Its been said that perhaps no other city on Earth has preserved the grandeur and the grace of the Renaissance as well as Florence. It is appropriate， then， that here， at the Antico Setificio Fiorentino， style and tradition are woven together.

在这座古城里，变化发生得很缓慢。窄窄的石板街道基本上还是五百多年前美第奇家族统治时期的模样。工业革命、两次世界大战和1966年的大洪灾给这里带来了无可抗拒的改变，但在一家工厂里，古老的生产方式仍在继续。

这家工厂名叫Antico Setificio Fiorentino，即佛罗伦萨老式丝绸厂。在这里，机械织布机有节奏的作业声让人恍如回到了过去。这些嘈杂的19世纪织布机为布业和室内装饰业供应着世界一流的丝织品。不过，在这家工厂，它们已经算是较新的机器了。

工厂的另一边是几台真正有历史的织布机。斯特法诺·本涅利所织的是机器制造不出的丝织品，他一根线一根线、一丝不苟地纺织着。在他的上方，穿孔卡引着织布机织出复杂精美的图案。这些织布机制造于1780年，采用的是在那之前已经沿用了数世纪的纺织原理。

萨比恩·普利许（厂长）：一切都是按旧时的方法来操作，不过我们在传承的同时也会不断发展，我们会用老式织布机来进行革新，不断地进行创造。

二战之后，其他的纺织品生产商都不再使用效率較低的手工织布机，佛罗伦萨老式丝绸厂成了业内惟一一家仍在使用老式手织机和织布法的丝绸厂。工业化生产的丝绸，整幅织物上同一个方向的线一般是三千到四千根，而老式手织机织出的丝绸则能达到一万二千根，是前者的四倍之多。这样，丝线不必加捻，织物就能很有韧性，而且这些未加捻的丝线展现了丝绸丰富多彩的整体效果。

在纺织开始之前，丝线还要先在机器上进行加工，加工丝线的机器几乎跟那些手工纺织机一样古老，已经有150个年头了。接下来会根据丝线是用作纬丝（织物上横向的线）还是经丝（织物上纵向的线）再进行不同的准备。对于纬丝，要将丝线仔细地再次绕好，没有加捻;对于经丝，则要将丝线并合在一起，但仍不加搓捻。

佛罗伦萨老式丝绸厂的产品在市面上是买不到的，产品目录上也找不到。每一匹缎子、每一幅织锦都需要定制。在一些人看来，那些工序也许困难而且单调，但本涅利却乐在其中。

斯特法诺·本涅利（纺织工人）：……对于大脑来说还好，不会有压力，对……

有人说，也许世界上没有第二个城市像佛罗伦萨这样把文艺复兴的宏伟和优雅保存得如此之好。那么，在佛罗伦萨老式丝绸厂这里，传统与个性相互交织，正与这个城市的气质完美契合。