The Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art in Torgiano

di Benedetta Tintillini

The “Vaselle d’autore” idea was born in front of a glass of good wine, between Master Nino Caruso and the former mayor of Torgiano, in order to create a reality linked to the territory and its excellence. Torgiano which is linked to the wine by ancient tradition and the presence of fine cellars and a dedicated museum.
The initial idea was to create it functional, trying to influence and “rejuvenate” the local artisans production.
This concept was then further developed by Caruso, who decided to invite artists from different disciplines, even if the first experience with ceramics, but, for this reason, potential bearers of ideas and suggestions always new and different.
Since that time, every year, three artists from all over the world are invited to make vaselle, the traditional

THE CONCORDIA THEATER IN MONTE CASTELLO VIBIO: THE SMALLEST THEATER IN THE WORLD WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE

by Benedetta Tintillini
Monte Castello Vibio, a small village that has preserved its medieval shape, holds within itself a place so special and unique. But is it really the smallest theater in the world? The challenge is open with the theater of Vetriano near Lucca, which is registered to Guinness, but in this case it is not a space created as a theater, but a nineteenth century building, conceived for other use, then converted to a meeting place in which it was made a theater.
The Concordia Theatre (then called “establishment”). It was founded by 9 upper-class families of Monte Castello in the early 1800s as a private place, which could be accessed only by invitation of the owners.
After about 40 years of total neglect, in 1993 the theater came back to life, that was the realization of the dream of a child, whose portrait can be seen in the only vintage photo of the theater dated 1929: the child’s name was Nello Latini.
That child, who was allowed to enter to watch a puppet show on the day of the Epiphany, fell in love with the Concordia Theater and loved it until the last day of his life.
75 year old in 1993, in possession of the theater keys, he began to open it to tourists and the curious, and show the theater returned to its former glory, giving way to the activity that is currently the major source of livelihood for the association: the theater guided tours .
He used to make such as theater stamps reducing the image and cutting the borders, and in 2002 , with the approval of the then President Ciampi, the stamp with the effigy of the Concordia Theatre in Monte Castello was issued. Another dream came true.
I could talk about the frescoes made by the Agrettis, father and son (14 years old!), the perfect acoustics thanks to the wood that covers the ceiling, or the particular atmosphere that you breathe, but I wish that everyone discovers it, lives it, visiting and becoming a friend of the theater and helping it to grow.
Volunteers welcome visitors, and always with renewed enthusiasm, tell the history, stories and lives, linked to this magical heritage of Monte Castello and all of us.
Are you thinking about a journey? Click HERE

 

THE FASCINATING MYSTERIES OF NARNI UNDERGOUND

by Benedetta Tintillini

 
Every time we look at the heritage of our past, we know, we retrace deeds and stories of men. But what is very fascinating in Narni Underground is that these men have a name and a surname, and wait for us to tell us their story.
Narnia , which takes its name from the river Nera (Naar, river) that flows at its bottom, is a city of charm, rich in history and architectural and artistic treasures, its complex morphology makes it extremely attractive for the beauty you can enjoy turning every corner.
We go inside the Dominican Monastery , the seat of the Holy Office in Narni , which was destroyed during the Second World War and its memory, apparently, faded very soon.
At first we enter in a church that was completely covered with frescoes. With a painted ceiling where you see a starry sky with the moon and the sun, even if the decoration is partially disappeared.