The Francesco Rossi Wool Mill(1) (1817-1862 and later) can be considered as an example of the great nineteenth-century textile factories. The importance of the Rossi enterprise was such that it influenced the economic, social and urban development of Schio and the surrounding area (Pievebelvicino, Torrebelvicino, Santorso, Piovene Rocchette, Cogollo del Cengio and Marano Vicentino) and constituted a model for other companies in the same area of the country (Crespi d'Adda and Valdagno).
The continuous transformation as well as the gradual demolition of the
complex(2) over the
years(3) make it difficult to thoroughly understand this exceptional phenomenon without recourse to written, oral, biographical and iconographical documentary sources, as well as
historical(4) maps and photographs in order to follow its history.
The two main
L-shaped(5) buildings remain as evidence of the grandeur of the glorious company; the wide courtyard which at one time was occupied by the numerous departments of the Rossi Wool Mill, today is mostly used as a car park waiting to be destined for new purposes.
The
Francesco Rossi Works(6) were erected by Alessandro in Via Pasubio in 1849 on the structure of the original manufacturing plant (1817) situated near the Canal, in front of the eighteenth-century Tron-Rubini Wool Mill (enlarged in 1862 and demolished in 1878). The elegant
façade(7) facing the road was inspired by the neo-classical Vicenza town mansions, dominated by rigorous symmetry, well-defined architectonic elements and symbolic relief decoration. The way the building soars up towards the sky is emphasised by the series of numerous rectangular openings changing size as they get higher and marking out the four floors which at first were used for the various processing phases, later became offices and today are disused. Worth noting is the majestic Tuscan
portal(8) decorated with the name of the founder and the date the company was set up - ‘Francesco Rossi 1817’ - the ground-floor windows surrounded with light spaced-out ashlar, and above all the relief work inserted along the parapets of the first floor openings which celebrates the wool industry, beginning with the
raw material(9), its processing and
packing(10) and ending with its
transport(11) on
ships(12) where the use of the steam-powered paddle wheel can be seen. The winged helmet and staff,
Mercury’s classical symbols(13) decorating the main body of the building, allude to peace and trade which it encourages.
Historical sources document just how modern the factory was, so much so that it was presented at the 1862 London International Exhibition in these terms : " [...] 1842 marks the first date in the development of the factory and 1848-49 marks the second. It employs 800 workers who receive from 50 Centimes to 2 Francs a day, has 150 horse power divided among steam machines, turbines and a water wheel, has 200 looms and all the necessary machinery to wash, spin and twist the wool, newly-invented Meunier
warping(14) machines,
chain(15) dressing and weighting machines, cylinder and pressure
fullers(16), machines for washing and carding, longitudinal and transversal tondeuses (cutters), hydraulic presses; it also has a complete dying plant, a Soap factory producing 500 Kilograms of soap a day and a Gasometer for factory use which produces 300 Cubic metres of gas in 24 hours. Moreover, the manufacturing system is a combination of various Belgian-English-French systems adapted to Italian national taste. The owner who manages the works personally has acquired the principal elements from Belgium [...]".
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