GENOA, 18 March 2026
A sharp uptick in residential renovation projects across Genoa's historic centre has driven demand for bespoke wooden staircases to levels not seen since 2019. Speaking outside his workshop on Via del Campo last Thursday, master carpenter Enzo Grimaldi confirmed that orders had tripled since January. Local craftsmen now face backlogs extending into late summer.
The revival appears tied to municipal incentives introduced in November, which offer partial rebates on interior upgrades for buildings constructed before 1960. Many homeowners in the Carignano and Castelletto neighbourhoods have seized this opportunity. They want their properties refreshed. When we spoke with Lucia Parodi, a 58-year-old architect overseeing three renovation projects near Piazza Corvetto, she noted that clients increasingly request open-riser designs and cantilevered treads rather than traditional closed-string configurations. According to figures that could not be independently verified, the Ligurian Artisan Guild recorded a 47 percent rise in consultation requests during February alone, though official quarterly data will not be published until next month. Parodi added that sourcing quality European oak has become more difficult as suppliers prioritise larger markets in Milan and Turin, forcing some workshops to extend lead times by several weeks or explore alternative hardwoods such as chestnut.
Our correspondents in Genoa observed a busy scene at the annual Salone dell'Artigianato fair held in the exhibition halls near the old port last weekend, where several family-run firms displayed intricately turned balusters and hand-finished newel posts that drew considerable attention from visiting developers. One booth featured a spiral staircase carved entirely from reclaimed ship timber, a nod to the city's maritime heritage. The Italian Federation of Woodworking Industries released a statement praising regional workshops for maintaining traditional joinery techniques even as they adopt computer-aided design tools. Still, smaller operators worry. Rising energy costs have pushed kiln-drying expenses higher, and some worry that profit margins will shrink if material prices continue climbing through the summer months. A handful of younger craftsmen have begun experimenting with hybrid constructions that combine solid wood treads with steel stringers, hoping to offer cost-effective alternatives without sacrificing visual warmth.
Not everyone is optimistic about the long-term outlook. The Regional Observatory for Construction Trades cautioned that labour shortages could dampen growth, noting that fewer than 200 apprentices enrolled in woodworking programmes across Liguria last year. Training takes time. Meanwhile, the timeline remains unclear for proposed EU regulations on formaldehyde emissions from adhesives commonly used in laminated stair components, leaving manufacturers uncertain about future compliance costs. On a lighter note, one elderly resident of Vico Dritto told reporters that she simply wanted her creaky steps replaced before her granddaughter's wedding in June. Suppliers hope to meet such everyday needs alongside grander commissions. Whether the current wave of orders signals a lasting recovery or merely a temporary bounce driven by subsidies is a question industry analysts expect to revisit once autumn sales figures emerge.