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Local handicrafts in Campania. Life is what happens to you while you 're busy making projects . . The Old Silks of San Leucio.
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Localhandicrafts in Campania Life iswhathappenstoyou whileyou're busymakingprojects.
San Leuciois a smallvillagelocated 3.5 km north west of Caserta, in Campania. Itisknownforbothhistorical and artisticreasons.The royal site, alongwith the Royal Palace of Caserta, hasbeenawardedas a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
It was1789, the thirtiethyearof the reignof Ferdinand IV (III ofSicily). The life and the dinof the ‘Reggia’ (the royalpalace in Caserta) distressedhim so hedecidedto go and live in a quietplace, a hillnearby, with a wonderfulview. In thisplace, therewas the ancientchurchof San Leucio, after the nameof the Bishopof Brindisi. • The kinghad a huntinglodgebuilt on the Belvedere, and some familiessettledtheretoprovideforhisneeds. The settlersincreased in number and became a small community whichbecame a utopianmodelof life. Ferdinand wanted thiscolonyhaveeconomicindependence, creating a silkfactory and a textilefactory. • Itwasregulatedby a code, written in hishand, full ofextraordinaryrules and ideasofequality, social security, humanrights, solidarity. • The newnameof the placewasFerdinandopoli, afterhisname, in short, eventhough the nameremainedartificial and no oneeverusedit: sincethenithasalwaysbeencalled “San Leucio”.
Everythingrevolvedaround the factorythatflourished and produced a richvarietyoffabrics, thoughitwasneverabletoreacheconomicgrowthbecause the profit wasnotitsmain goal: itwasmeantto the welfare of the community. • Therewasanimportantsilkfactory, supportedby the King "withpowerfulmeans," whichused the raw material generatedbysilkwormsreared in homesof Caserta and surroundingplaces. From the first spinning machines and loomsuntil the constructionof a largetextilemill. Theyproducedfabricsforclothing and wallpaper, in a wide rangeofsatins, brocades, velvets. In the earlydecadesof the nineteenthcentury, with the introductionof the Jacquard weaving, production wasenrichedwithbrocadefabricsofsilk, gold and silver, shawls, scarves, lace. Italsodevelopedlocalproducts, the ‘gros de Naples’ and a fabricforclothingcalled ‘Leuceide’. • The ordersofsilkcamefromalloverEurope: eventoday, the productionsof San Leucio can befound in the Vatican, at the Quirinale, in the Oval Office of the White House: the flagsof the latter and thoseof Buckingham Palace are madewithsuch material.
The fabricsof San Leuciohadsupplied the rulersof the house of Bourbon and Neapolitannobility and bourgeoisie, bothforclothing and for the upholstery. The manufacturesurvived the Kingdom of the TwoSicilies and the dominationofSavoy and, althoughwithverydifferentcharacteristics, todayitgoes on tokeepalive a valuabletradition , thatis, in fact, spread throughout the world. • San Leuciostoodperfectlyformanyyears, thenitwasgraduallydestroyedby the Napoleonicinvasions and strong populationgrowth. • The utopia of San Leucioendedwhen in 1861, following the invasionofSavoy, the kingdombecame part ofPiedmont: the silkfactorywasgivento private businessmen, and the king’s charter becamewastepaper. • Both the architecturalbeautiesdesignedby Ferdinand Collecini, a studentofVanvitelli, and the natural beauty continue to radiate theirsuggestions. • Itisworthtopay a visitto the ancientvillage: whoknowsthat the spiritof the oldking, whocontinuestowander the streetswherehehadstarted the separationofpedestriantrafficfromvehicles, perhapsevenangryforhavingbeenwonbyanoldbishop, Leucio, whosenamewasneverreplacedby ‘Ferdinandopoli’!
The Capri Pant, originallynamedafter the Isleof Capri, becameoneof Audrey Hepburn’s symbols in the 1950s in the movie ‘Sabrina’; Brigitte Bardot wasphotographedmostoften in Capri pants; more and more celebritiesstartedtopick up on the style, but more importantlytheywere the calibreofcelebritythathad the cloutto turn Capri pants into a fashion classic: Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Gina Lollobrigida, allstarswhoseimageshavesurvived the test oftime. • In the famous ‘piazzetta’ in Capri thereis a pointofreferencefor chic ladies: ‘La Parisienne,’ a shop where high fashion meets high craftsmanship and tailoringofexcellence. Itisherethat the pants called "Capri" wereborn, • Since 1906, in this boutique celebritiesfromallover the world havedonetheir shopping: Charlie Chaplin, whooftenbought Capri pants, Clark Gable, Gabriella ofSavoy, Liz Taylor, Maria Callas and Jacqueline Onassis, whoevenusedto buy12 pants at a timetokeepthem in the housessheowned in severalseasideresorts. • Among the mostrecentclients John Bon Jovichose a pairof patchwork pants. • White Capris are a modernclassicforeverywardrobe. Available in a rangeofmaterials, they're the perfectno-nonsense pants formanyoccasions and can dress up or dress down withease.
Today, the art oflacemakinghasbecomeincreasinglyappreciatedbythosewhoadmire and love beauty. The uniquenessofhandmadelace, lacemakingdifficulttechnique, proved in the long timeof production itneeds, likeourancestors, make the productsofthis art greatlyappreciated. The skillofsuchanembroiderybecomes a realtreasureto pass on from generation to generation, itisalmost a formofinvestment due to the rarityofworks and drawingswhich are jealouslypreservedbythosewhostillhandcraftembroidery. • Indeed, the imagethatrepresentsanelderly woman near the fireplacedevotedtoembroidery and surroundedbyother women and childrenof the family, isstillcurrent in smallvillages in Campania . Ofcourse, there are the seasons, changinghabits, but the traditionremainsunchanged and the story goes on.
Nicolas Maes “La merlettaia” 1650 MetropolitanMuseumof Art NY
In Campania regionlacearose and spread as a decorationforclothes and churchvestments. In the courtsof the nobleslotsofskilledlace-makerswereworking night and daytomakemasterpieces and create newdesigns, sometimesevennoblewomenenjoyedthis art. • In manycountriesof Irpinia and Salerno thisformofcrafthasdeveloped and the smalltowns and villageswheretoday beautiful laces are produced are: Santa Paolina, Tufo, Montefusco, Battipaglia, Positano; in theseplaces, in fact, the traditionishanded down frommothertodaughter. • Itisbelievedthat the originsofthis art are tobefound in Abruzzo. In Campania, however, ithadalready spread at the timeof Joan ofAragon (Naples, 1502-1575). Itissinceancienttimes, therefore, thatthesestylishlacesembellishtraditionalbottomdrawersofyoungbrides and houses.
Carving ofCameos and Corals • The originof the coralhasbeenshrouded in legendforcenturies, Ovid's "Metamorphoses" and Pliny the Elder in his "NaturalisHistoria" ascribed the samemythicalgenesisto the coral: the blooddrippingfrom the cut head of the Medusa Gorgon, turnedintocoral. • Itswarm and livelycolour, the marine origin, itsambiguous nature hadgreatlyimpressed the first peoplesof the Mediterranean, theybeganto work it and gotittobeknownthroughout the world.
The coralwasdiscoveredonly at the beginningof the '700 bydoctorPeissonnelfromMarseille: itwasnot a mineralbut a calcareoussecretionproducedbycoloniesofmicroorganismsofanimalorigin and therefore, the redcoralof the Mediterraneanseducedallpeopleswhocametoknowit. • From the Mongolsto the Indians, fromChineseto American Indians, butalso in Yemen, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Nigeria, North Africa and Europe, over the centuries, haveuniversallybelieved in the powerofluckof the coral. • In fact, the coralhasalwaysbeenfascinatingbecauseofitscontradictory nature: non-mineral, eventhoughpetrified, not a vegetablebuttree-shaped, notananimalthoughbloodcoloured. • The Coralwasthoughttohaveapotropaic, propitiatory and therapeuticpower; itfostered welfare, fertility, longevity and itwasconsidered a defensiveelement, In short, in manyculturesitrepresents a "defense" and especiallyprotectsthosewho wear it, especially in the mostvulnerableperiodsofones life: birth, puberty, marriage. • The coralhaspassedcenturies and civilizationsminglingwithlocaltraditions; todayitstillrepresents a source of beauty because, to quote the merchantPiczenikNissen, "corals take themall, rich and poor, elevate and adornsimple people and decorate aristocratic people. You can wear it in the morning, at noon, in the evening and at night, (...) whenworking and whenrelaxing, in both happy and sadtimes. "
The coralfishing in Torre del Greco, a townnearNaples, hasbeencarried out fromimmemorialtime and the incomingsof the coralfisherswere so considerablethat Ferdinand IV of Bourbon called the city “goldensponge" ofhisreign. • In the '500 Torre del Greco people went out fishingalso in the seaof Corsica and Sardinia and in 1688 theyhadover 500 fishingboats, in 1780 theyventuredto the coastsof Africa, winning the competitionwith Trapani, Genoa, Livorno and Marseille. • Torre del Greco boasts the maincoral and cameosfactories in Italy. • There are severallaboratories in whichspecialtechniquesofworking the coral are used, while the cameo engravingiscarried out by expert craftsmen. The techniqueofengravinghaspassedfromfatherto son. Besidescoral, shells (Cameo), the Vesuvian lava, motherofpearl and ivory are engravedbythese rare experts.
In the famous 60s, besides the hippie phenomenon, Positano discovered and experienced a new fashion. • Since the originalinhabitantsweretraders and businessmen, theyinvented the famousPositano Fashion. Theyturnedsuccessfultailorscuttingscarves, towels, linen or cotton; transforming fine linenhandembroidered, oldtableclothes, pillowlaced or crocheted, in eleganteveningdresse, gowns and shirts. • Thisextravagant fashion wasappreciatedfrom the very first momentsbecauseitwasverydifferent and essentialto the citizens. • Tailormerchantsinvented the dyedfabrics; theyimportedIndianraisedfabrics and mixedthemwitholdlacestakenfromtheir women’s bottomdrawers. • Amongthem Rachele Talamo, anexperienced and imaginativelocalseamstress, had a greattimebybuyingfabrics at herownexpense and makingappliquéclothes, whichwere sold like hot cakes. The phenomenonof ‘patches’, bizarre, elegant and artisticclothes, attractedconsiderable interest throughout Italy and soonafter in manycountriesof the world. In the eighties, inhabitantsfrom Positano got the highestincomings in Italy, until the early 90s.
The sandalsof Positano, oneof the mostpicturesqueareasof the Amalfi Coast, are appreciated in Italy and abroadfor high quality and originality. A successfulresultoftradition, creativity and high-handednessof the master shoemakersof the place. The Tradition • Today the sandalis a real fashion symbol, in itssimplestformitwas the first footwear item in the historyof man: evidences date back to the ancientEgyptiansthento the Greeks and the Romans,. The traditionofmaking the tailor-madesandalswasborn in Positano after the Second World War. The shoemakersfrom Positano werepriviligedbytheirimagination, creativity, good taste and a strong professionalskill. Theirsandals, which at first weresimplebutcomfortable, gained in a short timelotsofappreciationsfrombothfamous and ordinary people whocontributedto create the mythof the sandals in Positano, a symbolof the Amalfi Coast.
Features • The sandals are the resultof a careful work of master shoemakers, anactivitywhosesecretsofperfection and art werehanded down from generation to generation. • Shoemaker’s knives, files, awls and pliers are the fewsupporttoolsto the shoemakers in the creationofuniquemodels, a workingskillstartingfrom the selectionofgoodqualityleather and materials. The peculiarityofthesesandalsis in the preparation, characterizedbytwolayersofleathersewnwith the useof a string and no useofgluetoattach sole and upper. • At first the mostpopularmodelswere the ones in the Franciscan style or the ‘spider web’ style; after, tomeet the demandof the fashion butwithoutneglecting the traditionalfeatures, shoemakersembellishedthemwith the applicationofsemi-preciousstones and jewelrywithturquoise, coral, rhinestones, beads and Swarovski crystals.
