Italian Renaissance in ferrous metallurgy

The production of iron via the indirect process in Italy appears to be very ancient. It is suggested that as early as in the 13th century A.D., pig iron was produced on the Italian side of the Alps. The typical Italian blast furnace was developed in the valleys near Brescia and is known as the Brescian or canicchio furnace. During the 15th century, families of masters from Brescia and Bergamo who were able to build and manage ironworks, emigrated along the whole of the Italian peninsula and to Sicily, developing the Thyrrenian iron trail based on the exploitation of the ferrous ore coming from Elba island. Although bronze, not iron, is the metal of the Renaissance sculptures, and "metal" is the word sometimes used as a synonym for bronze in Italian texts, iron production and commerce, however, gave strength and wealth to the main protagonists of the Renaissance.