The initiative
A collection that becomes everyone’s heritage. From Francesco Velo’s vision to the Xiloteca Trevigiana: 300 authentic boards that bring together businesses, citizens, schools and research, to learn about wood and choose responsibly.
The project
Xiloteca.it: online museum of wood sustainability
Xiloteca.it is an interactive online platform containing information on various wood species used in the construction and wood-furniture industries.
Environment and raw materials
Wood is a natural raw material of extraordinary importance, closely linked to the health of forest ecosystems.
Work and companies
A key objective of the project is to bring together companies, designers, and consultants, creating a space for exchange that promotes innovation, collaboration, and the sharing of best practices.
Students and consumers
Another fundamental pillar of the project is the dissemination of knowledge to new generations and citizens.
The origins
The Francesco Velo Collection
Francesco Velo's collection was born in a sawmill, surrounded by the scents of wood, resin, and sawdust. Since the 1950s, his love for wood has become a quest: boards purchased from wholesalers and sawmills, common and rare species, even precious samples such as guaiac wood. Not small pieces, but real boards, meters long: wood in its true size, so you can see its grain, color, and history.
The birth
From collection to heritage.
From collection to heritage.
The Treviso Wood Library is born.
In 2010, Confartigianato Imprese Marca Trevigiana acquired the Velo collection. In 2011, together with the Bergamo Botanical Garden, a project was launched to document and set up the Xylotheque: not just a simple exhibition, but a program of promotion, education, and environmental respect. At the same time, the book Legni dal Mondo (Woods from Around the World) made botanical, technical, and sustainability data available for consultation.
Sensory experience
The Senses of Wood
Touch
grain, porosity, warmth: wood can be read with your fingers.
View
flamed grain, striped grain, knots: the material tells the story of its growth.
Smell
Each species has a character and habitat that can also be recognized by its scent.
Hearing
Wood modulates sounds: it is a gentle material that amplifies them.
Responsible choice
Knowing in order to choose.
Knowing in order to choose.
Nomenclature and sustainability.
The data sheets use scientific names and trade names regulated by standards (ATIBT, UNI EN 13556) to promote clarity between species and product groups. Each wood species is listed with its IUCN status and CITES references: essential information for making responsible choices and evaluating alternatives when the use of a species is not recommended.
The IUCN data are updated to the year of observation, as monitoring campaigns are not continuous.
Tomorrow
The water sawmill
Restore the historic water-powered Segheria Velo sawmill and set up the Xiloteca Trevigiana inside it: a center for education, culture, and tourism.
Objectives: to enhance the water landscape, revitalize a site that embodies Treviso's artisan heritage, and create a center of excellence for the wood and furniture sector.
Businesses and employment
The bridge with the territory
Wood furniture is a strategic Italian industry, driven by thousands of SMEs and a strong export focus. In the Treviso area, the industry is more important than elsewhere: with over a thousand companies and high employment in SMEs, the Marca region is one of the leading national centers. Wood maintains a significant share of the window and door market, reflecting its technical quality and perceived environmental value. The wood library acts as a bridge between companies, artisans, and students, to meet demand and guide training towards forward-looking paths.
The Xiloteca Trevigiana represents a world of business and work and illustrates the importance of the wood-furniture sector for the Italian economy.
Key figures for Italy
Registered companies
51.497
Employees
220.399
Craft businesses
33.280
Incidence of craftsmanship
64,6 %
Employees in craft businesses
87.446
Craft workers in the sector
39,7 %
Employees in MPI <50 employees
70,2 %
Revenue 2024
41,3 bn. €
MPI on 2022 turnover
51,2 %
export 2024
13,9 bn. €
On total exports
2,2 %
Italy 2nd largest EU exporter
7,7 bn. €
Average annual employment in Q1 2025
+3,2 %
Furniture exports as a percentage of total exports in the sector
82,2 %
Note: Confartigianato Research Department analysis of Istat and Unioncamere-Infocamere data; ATECO classifications 16 and 31
The wood-furniture sector in the province of Treviso
Operating in Italy 52,000 companies, of which two-thirds 64.7% craft. In Veneto, SMEs account for 2%of total employment.
For the furniture district in the Province of Treviso.
Companies
1.400
Employees
18.000
Export
1,8 bn. €
Treviso is the leading center for the wood industry
1st pole
Incidence.
Second is Brianza (4.5%)
Second is Brianza (4.5%)
7,8 %
Employed in SMEs with <50 employees
70 %
Treviso is also the leading province in Veneto in terms of craftsmanship.
1st Province
Companies
1.600
Employees
5.000
Difficulty in finding new sources of income
60 %
The Province of Treviso, together with Pordenone, Monza and Brianza, Como, Milan, Vicenza, Padova, Brescia, Venice and Verona form the Furniture Axis, Europe's third largest furniture exporter after Poland and Germany.
Focus on windows and doors
Windows sold in the residential sector in 2022
6,8 million
For Renewal
83 %
Market share of wooden windows and doors.
22% by volume
22% by volume
26 %
Turnover in the wooden window and door sector in the first four months of 2025.
Metal and plastic sectors in decline.
Metal and plastic sectors in decline.
+2,5 %
Visits
Visit and participate
Book a guided tour, explore the tables, use the digital catalog. Companies, associations, and schools can request customized tours and dedicated consultations. The book “Legni dal Mondo” (Woods from Around the World) is being reprinted: we will update the website with purchase details.
