Cashmere doesn’t originate in Umbria, the numerous producers there notwithstanding. The coveted wool comes mostly from goats raised in countries like Mongolia and China. However, in the 1960s and 1970s, a handful of local artisans began importing raw cashmere and applying centuries-old textile-manufacturing techniques to create high-quality garments. On this trip, an advisor in our Travel Office arranged exclusive tours of two cashmere makers in the region, affording my companion and me access that’s generally unavailable to those without connections.

Brunello Cucinelli

The “King of Cashmere” founded his world-renowned label in Solomeo, a crumbling 12th-century village in Umbria. In the 1980s, Brunello Cucinelli bought and restored the town’s castle, establishing his original headquarters there. Although the fabrication workshop and the offices later moved to a nearby industrial park, the hamlet — home to the Renaissance-style Teatro Cucinelli in the Forum of the Arts, the Church of Saint Bartholomew and an open-air amphitheater that hosts summer concerts — remains central to the brand’s identity. Before touring Solomeo and Cucinelli’s winery (tastings are not offered to the public), we visited the factory, a bright, open-plan space buzzing with activity. For centuries, cashmere hewed to neutral colors, but Cucinelli introduced a broader spectrum. The spools of cashmere yarn in vibrant jewel tones, neatly arranged by hue, looked like works of art in themselves. I watched a surprisingly young group of women, most of whom come directly from Cucinelli’s School of Contemporary High Craftsmanship and Arts, knitting and stitching garments by hand. This choice isn’t about preserving the tradition for tradition’s sake as much as maintaining the unparalleled quality that only handwork can achieve. Cucinelli has built a business deeply rooted in the local community: He has also opened the aforementioned school, a youth center and a library.

Brunello Cucinelli
Piazzetta dei Sapienti 11, 06073 Solomeo. Tel. (39) 075-529-4555