Handicraft Routes
Handicraft of Umbria is so well integrated in the urban fabric of the art towns of the region that the several events, such as exhibitions, street markets, historical reconstructions of the ancient crafts, etc, and the countless workshops scattered all over the region, contribute to give much more importance to the products of the local handicraft.
To learn more about the handicraft traditions of Umbria we suggest you a few thematic routes:
- Textiles, embroidery, needlepoint and lace
- Terracotta, ceramics and maiolica
- Iron and copper
- Master Goldsmiths and Master Glassmakers
1. Textiles, embroidery, needlepoint and lace
IThe image of groups of women sitting with their neighbours in the doorways of their homes and embroidering is one that is still present in the small villages of Umbria. This type of handicraft is still common and has found characterisations in Umbria of particular beauty, to such an extent that several areas, like those around Lake Trasimeno, have become famous for the production of lace and needlepoint of outstanding workmanship.
One such example is Isola Maggiore, where the local women make Irish lace and needlepoint using a lace pillow in accordance with a technique imported in the 19th century by the staff of Irish origin who were employed in the Castle on the Island.
Assisi is famous not just for its sanctity and artistic beauties, but also for its traditional “Assisi stitch” embroideries: it is a difficult technique to master but is of great effect.
Finally, mention should be made of the ancient art of weaving, which in the past was common throughout the region and still survives in the areas of Perugia, Città di Castello, Orvieto and Montefalco.
Precious fabrics made on the loom, decorated with mythological figures and symbols from popular tradition, in the characteristic colours of blue and green, are used to make towels, tablecloths, bedspreads and sheets.
Some recommended itineraries:
a) San Giustino, Città di Castello, Montone, Gubbio, Nocera Umbra, Valtopina, Spello, Montefalco, Trevi.
b) Norcia, Spoleto, Avigliano Umbro, Orvieto, Allegrona.
c) Assisi, Perugia, Sant’Angelo di Celle, Città della Pieve, Panicale, Magione.
2. Terracotta, ceramics and maiolica
Since the most far-off times, the territory between the course of the upper and middle Tiber and that of its tributaries the Chiascio and the Paglia was settled by communities whose terracotta artefacts, moulded with the clays that are sedimented in the soil of this area, constitute important documents and evolutional proofs, all the way up to the Umbrians and the Etruscans.
In Umbria this art has been considerably developed in numerous, important towns, such as Deruta, Perugia, Gubbio, Gualdo Tadino, Orvieto, etc.
Some recommended itineraries:
a) San Giustino, Città di Castello, Umbertine, Gubbio, Gualdo Tadino, Nocera Umbra
b) Perugia, Cordiano, Deruta – Ripabianca, Montefalco, Marsciano - Campignano
c) Otricoli – Calvi dell’Umbria, Orvieto, Castel Viscardo, Ficulle, Città della
Pieve, Castiglione del Lago
3. Iron and Copper
The production of wrought iron has been widespread in Umbria since the Middle Ages. Proof of this can be found, both as a structural and decorative element, in ancient palazzos and in the marvellous results in religious buildings, such as the gate in the Chapel of the Gonfalon in San Francesco and the one in the Chapel of Saint Bernardine in Perugia Cathedral, in the entrances of period residences and secret gardens. This craft is now being updated by the many workshops that can be found in the region, in particular in Assisi, Città della Pieve, in the villages around Lake Trasimeno, and in the Spoleto and Terni districts.
Some recommended itineraries:
a) San Giustino, Città di Castello, Montone, Gubbio, Assisi, Valtopina, Spello, Bevagna, Bettona
b) Sellano – Villamagina, Norcia, Terni, Otricoli, Todi, Orvieto, Ficulle
c) Magione, Panicale, Città della Pieve, Castiglione del Lago – Sanfatucchio, Tuoro sul Trasimeno, Passignano sul Trasimeno
4. Master Goldsmiths and Master Glassmakers
In addition to the traditional manufacture of textiles and objects made of iron, wood and ceramic, there is a also a production of glass, lithography and jewellery of considerable importance; there are countless workshops and shops to visit all over the region.
The Master Goldsmiths of Perugia, Torgiano, Spoleto, Orvieto and Terni have revived the Etruscan technique of granulation.
Decorating ceramicsThree generations of Master Glassmakers, in their 19th-century studio in Perugia, have been resorting to sketches from their historical archive to create glass artefacts that are still fired in the same kilns used in the past, then assembled and fitted with lead came, to make magnificent stained-glass windows.
The ancient burin technique, which is now used in a xylographic studio in Perugia, makes it possible to engrave wood and make a model of it to print the original of a work. However, the best place for art prints is a printing workshop in Città di Castello that dates back to 1799.
immagini random
