Spring 2006
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In Piemontese dialect there’s an expression “Nebbia basa bel temp lasa” which translates “low fog brings nice weather”. That’s a good way to describe our situation for the last several months. Our lease in Red Bank expires in June and we have been anguishing over what to do. The rents have been going up and in our opinion the foot traffic has been declining. Well the low fog did lead to a nice opportunity, which will result in leaving Red Bank for a larger store, with parking, in Manasquan. We realize that Manasquan might be a little farther for some of you, but you will have the added incentive that we’re only a few blocks from the beach and there are some great shops and restaurants in Manasquan. Our goal is to close Red Bank no later than June 15th and reopen in Manasquan by July 1st. To make the move easier we will be having a Moving Sale beginning May 19th in the store and on our website, see attached notice for details. The new shipment will arrive in late May and we will contact those of you with “special orders” and have your merchandise available in Red Bank. We are very excited about our move and hope to see you in Manasquan. Laura and Bill Assisi in search of San Francesco
On our last trip to Umbria we were due for a visit to Assisi so the Gialletti’s suggested that we spend |
Sunday in Assisi. We began in Santa Maria degli Angeli which
is the lower town where the basilica of the same name is located.
 The day started off with mass at the basilica, which was built around the original small church (Chiesetta della Porziuncola) that San Francesco restored as a result of a vision, and where he founded the Franciscan Order.  In comparison the original church is dwarfed by the basilica that was later built around it. The basilica also contains the Cappella del Transito an infirmary cell where San Francesco died. After our tour of the basilica we headed up to Assisi. Instead of following the tour buses into town we continued up Monte Subasio to the Eremo delle Carceri, |
the area where San Francesco and
his followers would often go to meditate.
There is a hermitage on the site, which you can visit and see the cells
where the Saint and friars slept. You
can also see the ancient tree where San Francesco preached to the birds. The solitude and peacefulness of this place
was quite a contrast to the tourists and the hussle and bustle of Assisi just
below us.
Lago Trasimeno
Located near the border of Umbria and Tuscany Lake Trasimeno is the 4th largest lake in Italy and the largest inland lake. Our ultimate destination was the town of Passignano sul Trasimeno but first we had to make what we thought would be a brief stop for olive oil. The story actually began earlier in the year when the Gialletti family came to visit us and brought some wonderful olive oil. Since we couldn’t buy it here we decided we’d pick some up when in Umbria. Fortunately, Antonio knew of the town and we got to Petrignano del Lago without too much difficulty. The down side is that it’s a Sunday and the frantoio (oil processing plant) was closed, but then again this is Italy and there’s a note telling prospective customers to go to #20 and ring the bell. To make a long story short the owners’ daughter Francesca comes over opens the frantoio and sells us some oil. We chatted for awhile and she informed us they recently opened a small bed and breakfast in the town. We didn’t have time for a tour but said we’d be back on a future trip. If your looking for off the beaten path lodging check out Villa Petrinia. |
Gilardini Ceramica Italiana Newsletter
Spring 2006
The website of the only U.S. distributor of this oil is: www.casesf.com/CasaDeCase for information on Villa Petrinia go to www.casesf.com/CasaDeCase/Frantoio_Visit.htm Next we headed to Passignano sul Trasimeno and arrived just in time to catch the ferry to Isola Maggiore the only island on the lake still inhabited. The island has one paved street which is bordered by 14th and 15th century houses and two churches.  The islands most typical craftwork is lace which dates to the early 1900’s when the Marquise Elena Guglielmi taught the local women who were fish net weavers how to do the “irish stitch’’. There is also a ristorante and several small bars to get a snack or gelato. It’s a great little place to spend an afternoon doing nothing but relaxing. Milano and the Cenacolo One of the things we’ve always wanted to see was Da Vinci’s Last Supper but it always seemed like once we got to my hometown of |
Ivrea we never made it to Milano. This trip we were
determined and made sure all of our friends were ready for a road trip. Daniela is the regional head of tourism in
Ivrea so she arranged to get the tickets and Luciano called his friend in
Milano for recommendations. In
true Italian style hospitality Sergio and his wife Daniela decided to personally
show us their lovely city. But first il Cenacolo
as the Italians call it.
 We arrived at the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie which was built by the Dominican monks in the 1400’s. The setup is similar to the Scrovegni Chapel in Padova in that access is limited in numbers and time and you have to pass thru a climate adjustment room prior to seeing the fresco. The work is awesome and after our allotted 15 minutes we felt we needed much longer but were content to have seen one of the worlds’ most important art works. If you go we recommend you order tickets in advance www.cenacolovinciano.org Next we headed off to see some of the other sites of Milano including the Piazza del Duomo the center of activity, the huge Duomo and the beautiful Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II referred to as Milan’s “drawing room”. We also saw the famous opera house La Scala, recently reopened after a lengthy |
renovation, and the hotel were Giuseppe Verdi died.
Sergio said that the Milanesi loved Verdi so much that as he lay dying
in his hotel room they would bring straw to spread on the cobblestone so the
noise of the horse hoofs on the street would not disturb him.
 No trip to the fashion capital would be complete without a stroll down Via Montenapoleone part of what is referred to as the golden triangle one of the three greatest shopping areas in Italy. Needless to say there are no bargains here. After much window shopping we were hungry so Sergio took us over to the canal district for a drink and some appetizers which was more like a buffet dinner. Finally back to Sergio and Daniela’s for caffe and a digestivo then it was time to head back to Ivrea. We kept remarking that Milano is such a beautiful city with much to see and do, yet it tends to be left off most travel agenda’s. We think that’s a mistake and can’t wait to go back. Storico Carnevale di Ivrea The story of Carnevale in Ivrea began in the Spring 2005 newsletter and so we pick up the story here on the Saturday before Ash Wednesay. It is on this evening at exactly 9 p.m. the bells toll to announce that another Carnevale is about to begin and Ivrea will once more remember |
Gilardini Ceramica Italiana Newsletter
Spring 2006
its fight for freedom so many centuries before. The piazza is packed as are all
the balconies and very soon on the balcony of the Municipio the Mugnaia will be
presented to the public.
 The Mugnaia or “miller’s daughter is perhaps the most popular of the Carnevale characters. She represents a woman named Violetta who as the legend goes was the prime mover of the revolt in 1194 in which the townspeople overthrew Count Raineri di Biandrate and destroyed his castle. Violetta whose father ran one of the mills along the Dora river was betrothed to Toniotto. Keep in mind that in those days there were certain rights and privileges the Count enjoyed over his subjects including new brides. Violetta was not your ordinary subject and decided to take the offensive. As the story goes she hid a dagger in her petticoats and at the critical moment cut off the Count’s head. The figure of Violetta has thus been for centuries the symbol of freedom from all forms of tyranny and dear to the hearts of all Ivreans. Thus the packed Piazza di Citta on this Saturday evening. Once the Mugnaia is presented by the Cancelliere and the crowds welcome her chanting “viva la mugnaia” she comes down to the piazza and is joined by her guards, the Generale, and his entourage. |
 Followed by the townspeople they lead a procession thru the 5 borgos (neighborhoods) of Ivrea which culminates in a fireworks display over the Dora river. The evening continues with parties in each borgo and the Mugnaia hosts a dinner dance for the dignitaries, organizers and past Mugnaia’s. As an aside, the records show that in 1879 the Mugnaia was one Agate Gilardini-Pistonato we just haven’t yet determined how she was related. Sunday is a full day of events most noteworthy being the serving of the fagioli (beans) at various sites in the town.  This commemorates the distribution of food to the needy by the various Confraternities during the middle ages. Also, we have the “Preda in Dora” a ceremony in which a stone representing a stone from the castle is thrown into the Dora river signifying the peoples efforts to prevent the reconstruction of the castle and thereby remain a free commune. The afternoon begins with a parade thru the streets of each borgo, led by the Pifferi e |
Tamburi (fife and drum corps) the Generale
and his staff, the Abbas on their ponies, and a gilded carriage with the
Mugnaia and her attendants.
 The rear of the parade is made up of about 40 carts of orange throwers which are pulled by teams of two or four horses decorated for the occasion. They are followed by the 9 teams each made of 100’s of orange throwers who will participate in the Battaglia di Arance (the orange battles) in the various squares of the town.  The Battaglia di Arance represents the battle of the townspeople (those on foot) against the forces of the tyrants (those in the carts). The battles are fierce and you sometimes wonder if perhaps the participants are taking it much too seriously, however, at the end of the day everyone shakes hands and walks away friends. Lest you think this is perhaps “boys being boys” I should add that today there are many young ladies who participate in the Battle. |
Gilardini Ceramica Italiana Newsletter
Spring 2006
 This part of Carnevale is exciting and has therefore become the most popular with the tourists and the foreign media. Monday morning is devoted to preparing the “Scarli” which are ten foot poles wrapped in heather, juniper and wild herbs gathered in the nearby hills. In each of the five borgo a Scarlo will be erected for use on Shrove Tuesday. This ceremony is performed by the Generale, his staff, and for each borgo, the most recently married couple who signify the rights of the family in the face of arbitrary interference. The afternoon is dedicated to Battaglia di Arance. Shrove Tuesday the town is busy with activity and full of tourists. The early afternoon is devoted to the last major parade which includes bands and various marching groups from the area and also groups from other countries and of course the Mugnaia in her gilded carriage throwing candies and mimosa flowers to the crowd. The parade is followed by the final Battaglia di Arance and then everyone prepares for the final evening activites. They begin at dusk as everyone heads to Piazza Castello for the burning of the first Scarlo. The scarlo is lit by the Abba from this borgo and within minutes the sky is alight and the crowd looks on as the flame races to the top. The Scarlo is a symbol of freedom to the Ivreans and it is said |
if the Scarlo burns quickly it is a sign of a prosperous year. This
event is repeated in the next two borgo.
The next to last and primary Scarlo is in Piazza di Citta which is once
again filled to capacity. This is the
only Scarlo burning attended by the Mugnaia and represents her last official
act. It is also the last time we see
the Generale on horseback. As the Scarlo is lit the Generale is standing
at attention in his stirrups on his horse, and the Mugnaia standing in her
carriage holds her sword high in the air while the Scarlo burns.
 The final Scarlo is in the San Grato borgo after which the most impressive part of the festival takes place. Known as the Marcia Funebre (Funeral March) it is led by the sound of a single piper and a single drummer and proceeds thru the old part of town back to Piazza Ottinetti.  The only sound heard for the entire march is the piper, the drummer and |
most eerie of all the sound of the Generale and his staff dragging their swords on the pavement. What always amazes me is that all of the
townspeople are walking in this procession yet it’s so quiet that even if you
are blocks back you still hear the sound of the swords.
Finally we arrive at Piazza Ottinetti and the Carnevale is officially over. The last act is the goodbyes which is also part of the tradition in that you don’t tell your friends goodnight but rather “arvedse a giobia a’n bot” which is dialect for “goodbye till Thursday at one” a reference to next year’s Carnevale. Unless your from Ivrea it’s hard to understand the attachment to Carnevale but believe me it is something that is part of your being. From the donning of their red berretto, a nightcap-like hat first worn by the freed slaves in Rome and later by the French during the French revolution  the “Phrygian bonnet” symbolizes the revolution freedom and must be worn from Thursday to Tuesday, to the eating of polenta merluzzo on Ash Wednesday. It’s a way of keeping the history and traditions alive and passing them on to the next generation. It’s like that all over Italy and a part of what makes Italy so special. Viva la Mugnaia!!! |