Maurizio and Davide Riva and I are kindred spirits both in terms of friendship and professional approach. So, naturally, when they asked me to develop a project based on the Briccole of Venice, I was only too delighted to accept. In addition, though, two further factors came into play: the passion I have felt from my earliest days for wood and the undeniable fascination of Venice that never fails to astonish. For me Venice was a case of love at first sight, with my first visit while still a child on a school trip. The project I developed in association with our Research Centre consists of a table with a steel structure and a top made of sawn “briccole”. The indestructible wood of the “briccole” tempered by the waters and permeated with the mysteries of its previous life is at the centre of our design – one whose pared-down elegance is capable of giving best effect to the finished product’s textures.