What makes a good shoe? Finely honed craftsmanship helps, of course, as does experience, quality materials and a certain measure of style nous. But never mind a good shoe; what about a truly great one? To understand that, a visit to the Santoni headquarters in Italy is required.

The quaint Corridonia province, a mile off the coast south of Ancona in eastern Italy, is perhaps a little at odds with the sharp and glassy Santoni headquarters. Nonetheless, it’s where the brand’s discerning fusion of the contemporary and the traditional can be most keenly felt. The place itself looks like something between a laboratory and a wellness retreat, all glossy white surfaces and natural light with ivy climbing the interior walls, and a great silver globe hanging in the lobby above pedestals proffering the brand’s shoes and sneakers.

It’s here, in the belly of the building, that the magic happens. The factory floors are alive with activity, bustling with white-coated craftsmen and artisans doing everything from operating sewing machines to painting the shoes. Craftsmanship is king at Santoni, and no expense is spared at making sure everything is as perfect as possible.

Which brings us to the Santoni Uniqua. A triumph of design that takes more than 100 steps to complete, the Uniqua is the brand’s latest offering on MR PORTER, and is rather special indeed. The shoe’s defining trait is that it is crafted from a single piece of immaculate leather, which is then bound using a traditional Goodyear welting technique. We’re talking about something you put on your feet here, of course, but the result is nonetheless striking: it looks about as close to perfection as we imagine a shoe can get.

Santoni has been making footwear since it was founded in 1975 by Mr Andrea Santoni, and has built a reputation as one of Italy’s most discerning shoemakers. Over four decades later, it remains a family-run business, and is now headed up by the founder’s son Mr Giuseppe Santoni, the brand’s current CEO, who managed the company’s expansion across the globe. “Uniqua embodies the purest expression of Santoni’s shoemaking savoir-faire and expertise,” he explains. “We wanted to create a beautiful object that would convey heritage, craftsmanship and authenticity, perfectly combined with an innovative and sophisticated design. To me, a shoe crafted by hand from a unique piece of leather represents beauty and perfection.”

But how exactly does it work, making a shoe from a single piece of leather? “The craftsmanship of a shoe using just a single piece of leather is extremely rare and exclusive because of the high degree of skills and precision required to our talented artisans for making it, completely by hand and entirely devoid of stitching,” Mr Santoni says. The Uniqua is what is otherwise referred to as whole-cut seamless in the bespoke shoemaking world. “It’s the perfect match between the highest craftsmanship and optimal comfort, for a ‘second skin’ kind of gloved fit.”

The leather, white at first, is cut into shape, and then nailed over a last where it remains for days until it has been sufficiently moulded. It is then assembled using a hammer and nails, which is followed by the welted Goodyear stitching – all done by hand, naturally. The final step is one to which Mr Santoni attaches a particular importance. “[The shoe] acquires its final nuance thanks to the application of different layers of colour, according to the artistic technique that characterises all our creations,” he says. From there, the shoe is polished using natural beeswax. This is the final one of 100 steps of shoemaking, and you can tell; it gleams.

Available as Oxford shoes or boots, in midnight blue and brown respectively, the Uniqua is a timeless addition to a wardrobe, and is perhaps the ultimate shoe of choice when you want to impress. As for what to wear the Uniqua with, they’re relatively timeless in terms of design so will work best with tailoring, and the blue or brown means they’ll slot in nicely with just about any colour, from greys through to navy, black and even green.

So, there you have it: a truly great shoe, from a truly great shoemaker. Seamless, shining and made with a frankly superb attention to detail. Start with a pair of these, and the rest will follow.

For a detailed look at the Uniqua process and to see Santoni’s artisans in action, watch the video below: