THE CASHMERE OF THE SIGNORIE

In the 13th century, Marco Polo is said to have discovered, inside a group of caves in Mongolia, some pictures of wild goats domesticated by man. It is therefore likely that, already many centuries ago, goatherds raised these goats for their particularly warm wool. A real blessing in these regions where winter is very harsh. It was only in the 19th century that Europe, full of wonder, discovered this precious wool, which took the name of cashmere. The plateaus of Ladakh and Tibet in the Himalayas are where authentic cashmere wool comes from. At an average altitude of 4000 metres lives the Capra Hircus, now a domesticated animal also known by the name of Pashmina goat. To face the long winter, which lasts six months, and withstand temperatures that often drop to -40°C, the animal is covered with a thick coat of long-haired wool. This animal, which is between the size of a European domestic goat and a dwarf goat, produces the extraordinary wool which has made the word “cashmere” famous throughout the world.