What makes Riccardo’s Tipì unique is the fabric: it is called Raytent and is based on recycling sun awnings. It is designed to create high-quality yarns for the furniture, sun protection, fashion, and industry sectors. It is made by a company in the province of Mantua, Giovanardi. The owner’s son (born in 1998) was part of the team that developed the project. Tipì won the 2021 Innovazione Amica per l’ambiente (Environmentally Friendly Innovation) Award bestowed by the Legambiente Innovation Foundation, as guests are reminded about by a box placed inside each tent. “I have an exclusive on the use of Raytent,” says Riccardo. The tents are currently made by Giovanardi, but starting to sew them in-house is one of the next development steps for Tipì, so as to cut one of the highest costs. Carpi has always been an important textile district; “my cousin, for example, is a seamstress and she could help me. But I still need to refine my skills” emphasises Riccardo. What he’s already doing by himself is the carpentry part, having learned the trade by working side by side with the carpenter who made the first pieces. “Tipì is a jewel of engineering, because it is made with only three core components that replicate to form the whole tent. The sawmill I rely on is in Savignano sul Rubicone (Forlì-Cesena) and provides me with certified wood. Once a year, after I have decided how many new tents I need to make, I place the order and pick up the custom-made pieces” says Riccardo.

When fully disassembled, the pieces form a cube: a Tipì fits in a chest. Assembling it, however, requires care, precision, and, above all, great care in not damaging the fabric by pulling it too much. To make assembly and maintenance easier, the second tent, Aria was created, designed for warmer places. Unlike the first Tipì model, Aria opens on two sides, thereby ensuring proper air circulation. Riccardo was inspired by a conversation he had with Caterina Barozzi, who, with her husband, runs L’Alpenice. “We had this wooden platform available next to the lavender garden and I was looking for some kind of structure to erect there. A friend saw the first tent prototype on Instagram and passed me Riccardo’s contact details. We went for a drink and he told me about his project: we ‘clicked’ immediately and started to cooperate. It’s a very lean approach, because there are no fixed costs and there is a one-year trial period”, she explains.

In the autumn-winter between 2023 and 2024, Riccardo is planning to build more Aria tents. “I like that this new model was conceived by sharing and talking to each other. It has meant a lot to me, also because creating a simpler shape has allowed me to save 50% of sewing time and costs” he says. The first Tipì, with its characteristic pentagonal shape, will not disappear, but will be used for those facilities that choose to actually purchase the tent, which will anyway also be advertised on the website. “It doesn’t’ make any difference to me: what really counts is that everyone wishing to sleep in Nature can do it, with no need to renounce comfort” concludes Riccardo.