At a time when art is just a click away and artificial intelligence designs virtual and immaterial worlds, the concreteness of the material, the wisdom and the imagination of the artisans of Tuscia become the absolute protagonists with Lazio Artigiana: 43 artisans involved, 5 craft weekends, 9 tours of historic centers and workshops with guide, 4 special meetings between different artisans, each guest in their workshops, to celebrate and enhance the cultural heritage of the craft and showcase it in its natural environment.
A series of activities that, thanks to funding from the Lazio Region for business networks between economic activities, aim to immerse participants in the history and culture of the area, through guided tours that tell the story of old crafts, live demonstrations of traditional techniques and the opportunity for participants to experience firsthand, what it means to create a “handmade” work.
Ancient bookbinders, skilled potters, Carthusian joiners, but also restorers, goldsmiths, tailors and violinists: the common denominator of these disciplines is that they all create unique works, starting with their manual skill, never the same, and for this reason very precious.
Lazio Artigiana aims to connect the rich artisanal heritage with the dynamic tourism sector, creating a bridge between local master artisans and a wider audience, national and international.
We start with two meetings just before Easter 2024: on March 30, a guided tour of the eastern part of the city of Viterbo is planned, starting from the Church of Santa Maria della Verità and a route that winds through Piazza Dante, the Church of San Giovanni in Zoccoli, Piazza Concetti, Via Mazzini, Piazza della Crocetta and the Monastery of Santa Rosa. Visitors are welcomed by the owners of Antica Legatoria Viali, active since 1891, Lucia Maria Arena and Hans Rainer Kolb, who will engage them by demonstrating the creation of a hand-bound paper notebook.
On April 1, on Easter Monday, we continue with a guided tour of the historic center of Viterbo through the medieval villages, starting from Palazzo dei Priori, through Piazza del Gesù and Piazza della Morte, with the characteristic spindle fountain built in the early years. from the thirteenth century, then it touches the Palazzo Farnese, the famous Piazza del Duomo with the cathedral dedicated to San Lorenzo, the magnificent papal palace and the house of Valentino della Pagnotta. The visit will continue towards the medieval quarter of San Pellegrino, still intact in its original form, with houses decorated with flower balconies, shops with handicrafts, antiques and artists. Here we will stop at Daniela Lai’s Art Workshop – Medieval Ceramics. The ceramist managed to restore the medieval decoration of Viterbo and the very rare saffron relief decoration, of which she is now a proud ambassador, and also experimented with painting on peperina, the local igneous rock.
Never before has the singularity of the human contribution, which no artificial intelligence can replace, needed to be demonstrated more than at this moment in history. Lazio Artigiana is a journey created precisely to celebrate, discover and rediscover the emotions of holding in your hands an object born of your work, unique in its exceptionality. On this journey, the visitor will meet a violinist from Canepina (VT), who has been making harpsichords all her life in her house in the forest, but also a mosaicist from Cellena, who creates her works of art in the so-called ghost village, breathing in the atmosphere of the shops that have been open for hundreds of years and which retain their original structure in their architectural structure.