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Unioncamere

Unioncamere - the Union of Italian Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Handicraft and Agriculture - is the public association that institutionally collects and represents the Italian chamber system. www.unioncamere.it

Tanning was one of the earliest human activities. The first evidence of leather being used for clothes, sandals or the creation of objects such as water containers and boats comes from the writings of the Sumerians. The art of tanning was present in antiquity amongst cultures such as the Babylonians, Hittites, Persians, Egyptians, Jews, Shiites, Gr...

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The Sicilian Puppet Theatre (Opra) is a characteristic theatre performance where the puppets, animated by “puppeteers”, represent the exploits of the greatest medieval heroes who fought for Christendom against the Saracens. In particular, the most recurrent theme in the Opra was the clash between the paladins of Charlemagne and the Muslim warriors...

1745

Until a few decades ago, only a few examples of sixteenth-century Castelli majolica were known to have survived, mainly attributed to the Pompeii family, whose best well-known ceramic artist was Orazio (ca. 1507-1588/9). His house is also well-known, due to the inscription on the lintel of a window: “Haec domus east Oratii figuli 1562” (“This is th...

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Starting from the nineteenth century, a ceramics culture develops in the Cuneo province of Monregalese. The manufacturers of silk and woollen cloth for military use govern the area’s vibrant economy and trade with neighbouring towns and Liguria. On finding the production of “fine earthenware” to be an important growth area, the Jacobin doctor Franc...

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For centuries, wood was the raw material that every mountain community relied on to meet the needs of everyday life. In its most traditional forms, woodworking is the most direct response that people were able to find for their everyday needs. Over time, this immediacy has given way to a tradition, which in the province of Trento has combined funct...

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Since the Renaissance glass production of drinking glasses was very active in Florence. There were many glass shops that included a number of different styles made specifically according to the use, for example “glasses for the sick”. From the 16th century, to enrich their prestigious collections, the Medici Grand Dukes brought in Venetian masters,...

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The art of papier-mâché in Lecce, a phenomenon unique to Apulia, dates back to a period between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when the development of arts was linked to the increasing number of churches and monuments.  At this time, the craftsmen of Lecce discovered that the art of “plasticising” paper allowed them to create myriad sacr...

1110

In the 12th century, tapestries and tablecloths were woven in the Umbria area using the French “bird’s eye” motif technique. These embroideries were created primarily on fabrics, often for use in a liturgical setting, and featured geometric shapes or stylized animals and people. Over the following centuries, tablecloths from Perugia were used throu...

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In the area that is today Friuli Venezia-Giulia, since ancient times, various populations such as the Euganeans and Venetians have contributed to the development of metal crafts and metal processing. Jewellery making is the barbarian art par excellence. The filigree and silver and gold plating decorate a nomad body like a welcoming space. Shi'ite a...

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In ancient times coral finds its popularity as an amulet, as evidenced especially by the classic "cornetto", Italian for "little horn" or "hornlet", an amulet worn to protect against the evil eye. It was believed also to have beneficial effects on female fertility and to protect children from harm. Widespread belief among the Romans, who used to pu...

744

The production of hats in Biella is a tradition that dates back to 1700. As with textiles, this type of activity developed largely because of the mountainous location at the foot of the Alps, which precluded extensive crop cultivation, favouring the breeding and rearing of sheep for wool and textiles. Thus it is no coincidence that hat factories we...

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In the summer of 1325, the process for the canonisation of St. Nicholas of Tolentino took place in some towns in the Marche. 371 witnesses from various socila backgrounds were invited to testify in the presence of the papal legates, who were to receive news and testimonies on the life and miracles of the saint.Among the testimonies presented was on...

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