Edited by Giovanni Lattanzi -.:: Camera Di Commercio Di Chieti

edited by Giovanni Lattanzi index introduction 5 craft in Abruzzo, a long history 6 craftmen, instructions for use 12 province of Chieti, capitals of craft Guardiagrele 16 Lanciano 22 Chieti 28 Vasto 36 province of Chieti, routes for the craft workshops the stone masters 42 the goldsmith’s masters 48 the glass masters 56 the ceramics masters 60 the iron and copper masters 68 the paper and decorations masters 74 the leather, textiles and embroidery masters 80 the wood masters 86 introduction his work, that I have the pleasure of presenting, moves out of the normal schemes that distinguish it from guides on Tartistic craft to offer the keen traveler a cross-section of the territory of our province indicating some tourist itineraries that include, apart from the artistic and environment beauties, what this province can offer, also an index of craft workshops representing various sectors. The guide to the itineraries to artistic craft wishes to tell of the magic spell of our villages and of people’s passion that animate these places through their work with the awareness that it is possible to hand down the memory only by drawing visitors close to this priceless heritage. The Chieti province, with its peculiarity of environment and traditions, is the ideal place to satisfy the curiosity of the attentive tourist. The four chosen itineraries are just a small part of what this territory has to offer. This guide is testimony to the interest the Chamber of Commerce of Chieti nurtures for this sector, so important because it is evidence of a civilization that proposes itself in such an evident way. It pleases me greatly to express my satisfaction in this work, thanking one and all who participated in the laying out and, in particular, the Craft Department of the Chamber of Commerce of which I am honoured to be president. Cav. Lav. Dino Di Vincenzo President of Chamber of Commerce of Chieti Guardiagrele, workshops of master craftsmen of iron and copper. On left, bronze helmet from Italic times from Pretoro. On left at bottom, Comino near Guardiagrele, the Italic necropolis. Terracotta finds and the excavations of a tomb. craft in Abruzzo On right, Atessa, a silver monstrance, embossed and gilded, masterpiece of a long story Nicola da Guardiagrele. ithout any fear of than 700,000 years ago, cooking it on the fire to make they were refined objects in being banal, we can started to use his intelligence a bowl. It is certain that the flint, artfully chipped and Whappily confirm that in utilizing raw materials that science of archaeology that worked with surprising craft was born from mankind. nature had provided such as studied these age-old stages of shrewdness and precision. In In fact, the word ‘craft’ stone, wood, earth, animal the presence of man on earth, our region there have been describes, according to the bones in order to alleviate the that is prehistory, has revealed numerous findings of real and Italian dictionary, production, toughness of their primitive how it was with stone, then proper prehistoric workshops repairing of an object made by daily existence. It was the wood, the first materials that mainly on the slopes of the hand or with traditional innate intuition of the human mankind used to make tools for Majella where flint was in methods. This is in contrast race in evolution to dictate the work and, above all, weapons abundance, from which great with those industrial ones or rules of the first attempts in for hunting. The first weapons quantities of stone utensils those on produced such a large this way, strengthened then grasped by human hand date were made. The same certainly scale to warrant the use of almost certainly by casual and back to the so-called came about concerning wood, machines or various kinds of lucky discoveries. They may Paleolithic period, the most of which, unfortunately, automation. It is the manual have noticed, for example, how ancient of prehistory, and they archaeology can tell us very character that is the peculiar clay, placed close to the fire, were very little more than hard little since it is very unlikely element to distinguish and became as hard as stone the fragments of stone with to remain through the characterize craftwork which next morning. It is easy to cutting edges. In the following centuries. From the simple began, however, at the same imagine one of the brightest of periods, in particular the branch picked up off the time in which prehistoric man, the group modeling the soft Neolithic, which in Abruzzo ground, we move onto the and we are talking about more clay with his hands then started about 7,000 years ago, working of sticks and handles with a function. Similarly ceramic showed a rapid and surprising evolution over the entire prehistoric period, both in form, working techniques as well as in the fineness of the mixture. The manual ability guided by the intelligence, experience, creativity: these, therefore, were the winning elements that permitted our ancestors to exploit the natural raw materials to make useful objects and so becoming the 6 routes for the workshop of artistic craft in the province of Chieti routes for the workshop of artistic craft in the province of Chieti 7 first craftsmen in the history of became a necessity to organize ceramics, textiles, wooden impressions and engraved way of living – iron. From the At top: Chieti, National Archaeological Museum of Villa Frigerj. The famous mankind. The first step was, a series of objects that made objects developed and, steadily signs. All these finds can be Iron Age the development of Warrior of Capestrano, funeral statue therefore, the transformation of domestic life easier, even and slowly, the functionality of admired today in the Museum human activities of production of an Italic prince. the rough material into a though we are still talking objects was associated to a of the People of Abruzzo and transformation of raw At bottom: pots and pans in copper finished product destined and about huts made out of new parameter up to then (Museo delle Genti d’Abruzzo) materials became always more worked by hand in the Costume Museum of Guardiagrele. motivated by a purely practical branches and leaves covered in unknown – style. In the in Pescara, and represent the and more rapid and refined as objective, where the only clay. The production of archaeological finds, in fact, birth of the Abruzzo design. the cultural identities of the parameter guideline was the appeared traces of a pure About 5,000 years ago groups Italic tribes gained strength. productions in all sectors. functionality of the actual primitive taste for beauty; of populations coming from the Technique and style matured Abruzzo museums are full of objects. By principle, every vases were decorated by present Middle East brought to hand in hand, the shrewdness this exceptional evidence such effort to improve moved in this pressure of nails or shells onto Abruzzo, the knowledge of of the working and the as the Warrior of Abruzzo (AQ), direction, as with all the the still soft clay or making copper, introducing the use of accuracy of the skilled master. the Ercole Curino of Sulmona, productive tasks. And this lines with sticks dipped into metals and so bringing us From the individual craftsman, the many statues from Roman should not be surprising. The red ochre as in the village definitely out of the Stone capable of producing utensils times such as those from Alba survival of prehistoric man was Leopardi, the most ancient Age. Bronze was discovered and objects with a good degree Fucens (AQ), mosaics from extremely precarious; his life Neolithic settlement in 700 years later, an alloy with of decorations, we quickly Teramo and Vasto, bronze depended on his capacity to Abruzzo, brought to light near better results and so history came to the appearance of true vessels from Campovalano of hunt the great herds of wild Penne by Baron Leopardi and entered into the era of bronze, and proper artists, capable of animals and defend himself dating back more than 6,500 underlining the importance the drawing out of a stone or from the cold using their skins: years ago. In 1970, the scholar working of this metal took on metal, but also glass or wood, weapons and tools for working from Pescara, Claudio De in everyday life. Its diffusion masterpieces. By means of the skins were the vital Pompeis discovered at was so rapid and widespread splendid finds discovered in element of survival. Between Catignano the remains of a that, actual categories of tombs, the Italic world, 12,000 and 10,000 years ago Neolithic village with metalworkers capable of including Abruzzo, showed the tribes stopped being groups of fragments of shiny and well- melting and forging objects of existence of ranks of worthy nomadic hunters that followed worked ceramics, painted with every kind were created, master craftsmen capable of the migration of the animals to red bands and black reaching a surprising degree of working raw materials to settle down in favourable decorations, a unique, original refinement with weapons, produce every sort of utensil or places, rich in water. In this style of our region which takes vases, statues, but also tool but also ornaments and way, man discovered farming the name of Catignano. A short decorative objects, jewels and furnishings of great splendour. and the necessity to build At top: Chieti, ‘La Civitella’ time later in the province of amulets. Then, approximately The Roman world absorbed this stable living areas, totally Archaeological Museum. Reconstruction Teramo, another larger 1,000 years before the coming knowledge from the of the pediment of an Italic temple different to the tents which decorated with a terracotta statue.

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