Badalassi Carlo Castagno Minerva Liscio

Minerva Liscio in Castagno features full-grain calfskin-like ultra-fine grain with a smooth, semi-gloss finish.[1][2] Heritage footwear makers use this leather for boots and shoes.[1] The leather is infused with a special blend of natural waxes during production, offering a soft hand and depth of color.[1][2]

Castagno is described as a deep chestnut brown color.[5] The name derives from the Italian word for chestnut tree, with the related term "castano" referring specifically to the color of ripe chestnuts.[5] The leather exhibits rich natural tones enhanced by the smooth grain surface, which highlights the deep, transparent colors.[2]

The Castagno coloration is achieved through aniline dyeing, which produces transparent colorings that penetrate completely through the leather from grain to flesh side.[1][2] This through-dyeing process contributes to the leather's natural appearance and allows the full range of color beneath the surface to be visible as the leather ages.[1]

The Castagno Minerva Liscio leather is produced as top grade, full grain material with a supple feel and a small amount of firmness.[2] The leather features a soft flesh side and is dyed completely through from grain to flesh.[2] Standard sizing includes whole pieces averaging 1.4 square meters (15.5 square feet) and half pieces averaging 0.7 square meters (7.7 square feet).[1]

The leather exhibits distinctive aging characteristics. When rubbed, the surface becomes more shiny and beautiful through burnishing.[2] This patina development produces a smoother, shinier surface where subjected to frequent or heavy use, with dark tones emerging as a surface polished by wear better renders the full range of color beneath.[1] The leather is drier than leathers stuffed with fats and waxes such as Horween Dublin and Horween Derby, resulting in a tendency to scratch quickly, which adds depth and texture as the leather ages.[1]

The oil content from the tanning process makes this soft temper leather suitable for tooling and carving.[2] A special fatliquor of animal origin added during tanning allows the material to be used for tooling and engraving techniques.[2] Common applications include wallets, bags, watch straps, and other leather goods projects, as well as heritage footwear.[1][2]

Badalassi Carlo produces Castagno Minerva Liscio at their facility in San Miniato, Tuscany.[3][4] The tannery has been producing vegetable-tanned leather for over 40 years and operates as a member of the Genuine Italian Vegetable Tanned Leather Consortium.[3][4] The consortium, established with 19 member tanneries, preserves traditional vegetable tanning methods and adheres to strict standards emphasizing sustainability, transparency, and superior craftsmanship.[3][4]

The tanning process employs traditional methods using tree bark that date back centuries.[2][3] The vegetable tanning technique uses natural tannins extracted from plant sources.[4] After tanning with bark extracts, the leather undergoes a special fatliquor treatment using animal-origin oils added during the tanning process.[2] The leather is then dyed with aniline colorings and finished.[2]

The production process creates leather infused with a special blend of natural waxes, achieving the characteristic soft hand associated with traditional vacchetta leather.[1][2] This represents the classical oiled vacchetta type and is considered the most historical kind of leather available on the market.[1][2]