The loom is the altar of the greatest transformation in the textile industry: the threads become cloth here. It is an operation, which remains somewhat miraculous. Here are seventy-six super-modern looms. Unusually, the noise is not deafening because every loom is under a kind of hood; a vast, sound-absorbing bell is raised or lowered to cover the whole machine. This is an invention of the Barberis Canonico factory. Noise has been reduced from around ninety-five or ninety-six decibels to around eighty-five, quite a drop. The few workers wear ear-plugs for complete safety, but even without, there is no discomfort, and the air is fresh and clean.
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