IL FALCETTO - The Pruning Knife

Also known as RONCHETTA or RONCOLETTA and often also called "Roncola" (Billhook) the handling of the Italian Pruning Knife is, of course, different than that of the, much heavier and bigger, real Roncola.

Mostly Winegrowers are using the pruning knife to prune the vines,cut out the grapes and when harvesting. It was most widespread between around 1650 and 1850. Since the introduction of pruning shears around 1950, it is used less and less.

Sickle-shaped knives have been proven to date back to the Bronze Age. The Etruscans, who already grew wine, knew this tool and the Celtic Druids used sickle knives to cut mistletoe from trees for ritual purposes.

Toghether with the Billhooks the Romans brought, with the spread of wine growing in Europe in the 2nd /3rd centuries, their typically curved vine/pruning blades (falx vinatoria). In contrast to the larger billhook with the same bladeshape, the smaller pruning knife with a 5 to 15 cm blade is primarily used for pulling cuts.

Type "Roncola" and "Mezzaluna"

In some wine regions there was a real cult of thoose knives and the winemakers carried their,
often occasionally decorated, pruning knife with pride.The use as a weapon is a very specific knife fighting method which, unlike most other Italian concepts, does not avoid the close distance implicitly.

"Anche un falcetto può essere letale."