ITALIAN HANDICRAFT
Our country has a great tradition of
skilled craftsmen operating in many
industrial sectors and processes,
which are often derived from ancient
popular artistic expressions handed
down over the centuries.
TEXTILE PRODUCTION
Solofra
leather
San Leucio
silk
Burano
embroidery
Borsalino
hats
SAN LEUCIO SILK
San Leucio is a village near Caserta, whose fame is
linked to the manufacture of silk. The origin is
very old and goes back to the Bourbon reign of
Ferdinand IV.
He created a modern silk factory supported by
powerful means, like spinning wheels and looms.
They produced textiles for clothing and wallpaper,
in a wide range of satins, brocades, velvets.
Nowadays the production of silk still continues
thanks to small family factories, which produces
silk textile for nobles and fashion designer.
BURANO EMBROIDERY
Burano is an isle of Venice. It’s famous for
the production of embroidery. The first
embroideries date back to the 1500s and
the work was carried out first only at
home using a needle and thread without
the support of a canvas. They became
famous in all over Europe and the Burano
lacemakers were called even in France to
work there and to give new ideas about
the manufactures of lace. The most
important works are exhibited in the
“Museum of the Lace” at Burano, where
there are lot of shops selling embroideries
of any shape.
BORSALINO HATS
Borsalino is a clothing company in Alessandria,
located in the North of Italy. It produces a special
type of felt hat: Borsalino. The production process
makes these hats unique, made of fine fur felt
(rabbit, hare) through fifty stages of production and
seven weeks of work for each hat. The working
process passes from generation to generation, the
secret is given by the production sequence that
alternates industrial and manufacturing stages.
SOLOFRA LEATHER
The tradition of leather, in Campania, dates back to the
Angevin period. Master tanners and leather merchants
handed down their craft from father to son until the
sixteenth century, a period in which the Neapolitan artisans
began to export many products to other countries. Some
areas of the region have a long tradition of tanning, for
example Solofra and Montoro Superiore.
Artisans of leather are mainly women , that is why the
production is still on the craft mold. The quality of the raw
material have found an outlet in the production of many
high-styled manufactured goods, such as bags, shoes etc.
POTTERY AND CERAMICS
Capodimonte
Amalfi coast: Vietri
CAPODIMONTE PORCELAIN
Capodimonte porcelain is one of the
most representative of Naples
handicraft. There was a factory that
produced it. It is the Royal Factory of
Capodimonte, founded by King Charles
of Bourbon in 1743.
Nowadays the Royal Factory of
Capodimonte has become one of the
most important museums in Naples
where there are the most famous pieces
of the Neapolitan tradition. However
the china production of Capodimonte
still continues thanks to small factories
managed by families.
VIETRI CERAMICS
The art of ceramics in Vietri sul Mare, is not only an important business
activity , but is also an imaginative craft because of the colors. It has
ancient traditions. It consists of the production of kitchen tools and
containers for household, of objects related to religious worship. The
most prestigious production of Vietri ceramics is between the two
world wars (1920-1947), the so-called “German period” when many
foreign artists , mostly Germans, settled in the area, forming a colony
engaged in the local pottery. Going around the Amalfi coast, people
enjoy the beauty of this pottery just by observing the landscape, the
tiles inserted into the external and internal walls of the houses. Vietri
and other towns in the area thus become an outdoor museum,
characterized by the presence of a number of shops that, with their
decorative plates, vases and wall panels testify the vitality of this
activity.
RAW MATERIALS
Wood:
Sorrento
Glass:
Murano
Coral
Marble
Tabacco (Sigaro
toscano)
Cribs:
San Gregorio
Armeno
THE WOODWORK: SORRENTO
The woodwork in Campania has
ancient origins and traditions, but
the tradition of Sorrento is very
popular. The designs are made by
putting together small pieces of
wood, cut and shaped before. The
shades of color are given by
different types of wood used as a
walnut, holly, etc. The work is
completed with incisions made by
hand and finished in dark stucco.
The skill consists of recognizing and
choosing the different qualities of
wood to create a range of colors
that represent delicate designs.
GLASS: MURANO
Murano is an island of Venice. In 1292 Murano started the production of glass,
becoming one of the most famous centre of world production. The tradition of
glass processing in Murano still continues . The technique that made unique this
art is the “blowing” which makes it possible to create delicate objects like cups,
glasses, candlesticks and knick-knacks. The Murano glass has been produced in
large quantities in the 1950s and 1960s for export and for tourists. There is the
Glass Museum, located in the Giustiniani Palace in Venice, which shows the
history of the glass from ancient Egypt until today. The technique of the Venetian
glassmakers has not changed in the time and still today you can walk through
Murano and admire the artisans at work.
CARRARA MARBLE
Carrara marble is a type of marble from the
quarries of the Appennini near Carrara. It is
known as one of the finest marble. The
marble quarries were already used during
the Copper Age, from the primitive
habitants to produce decorative objects.
During the Renaissance it was used by
Michelangelo for his sculptures.
The quarries can be of two
types: closed and open air. The
marble is reduced into slabs of
different thickness and then
polished to provide raw
material for panels, ornaments,
stairs, and other accessories.
TUSCAN CIGAR
The Tuscan cigar is a typical
cigar produced at Lucca, in
Tuscany, and Cava de Tirreni in
Campania. It can be produced
by hand or by machine, that
determines the differences in
quality and price.
The Italian tobacco, cultivated in Tuscany,
Campania, Lazio is used. After the
harvesting the leaves are seasoned
during a period from 15 to 20 days and
this period is called “A Fire Cured” which
gives the name to the commercial variety
of Kentucky tobacco.
SAN GREGORIO ARMENO
Via San Gregorio Armeno is a famous
narrow street in the historic center of
Naples. It is famous in all over the
world for the crib handicraft. In fact,
along it, we find a series of workshops
with artisans who create cribs. This
tradition has been passed down from
generation to generation since the
eighteenth century. Each year the
artisans create, besides the traditional
characters of the nativity scene, even
famous people, such as: ancient masks,
politicians, footballers, showmen, etc..
Their exhibition usually starts during
the Christmas period.
The coral is the red gold of the Mediterranean. It has a long
tradition of craftsmanship. The Coral is considered as an amulet
because of its red color standing for blood. Torre del Greco is still
the main centre of the coral production in Italy. The coral fishing
goes back to ancient times. The fishermen even fished in the sea
of Corsica and Sardinia and had more than 500 boats. They even
reached the coasts of Africa, winning the competition in Trapani,
Genoa, Livorno and Marseilles. There are several laboratories
where people work the so-called "smooth" coral, whereas the
cameo is worked at home by expert craftsmen. The technique of
engraving is transmitted from father to son. Moreover the
craftsmen engrave coral shells (Cameo), the Vesuvian lava,
mother of pearl and ivory. Another important tradition of coral
manufacture is in Sardinia and Sicily.