Several days ago I got a call from one of my great nephews, which doesn’t happen too often, so I immediately got that apprehensive feeling wondering what was to come.  As it turned out he had a project for his Italian class and needed information on “famous Piazza in Lombardia” and wasn’t coming up with much when he googled that phrase. 

I could appreciate his problem because even though Lombardia has some beautiful cities with tremendous histories they are not on the tourist circuit and therefore not top of mind when you think of famous squares.  That got me to thinking that perhaps a little blog on our last visit to Milano may pique some interest for those of you planning your next Italy itinerary.

One of the things we had on our bucket list was Da Vinci’s Last Supper but it always seemed like once we got to my hometown of Ivrea we never made it to Milano.  This was about to change and we contacted our friends in Ivrea to prepare for a road trip.  Luciano called his friend in Milano for some recommendations, and in true Italian hospitality Sergio and his wife Daniela decided to personally show us their lovely city.   Our first stop was to see the Last Supper or L'Ultima Cena or il Cenacolo as the Italians call it.

Il Cenacolo is located at the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie which was built by the Dominican monks in the 1400’s.  The fresco was commissioned by Duke Ludovico Sforza and covers the back wall of the dining hall.  Leonardo started to paint The Last Supper in 1495 and completed it in 1498.  Access is limited in numbers and time and you have to pass thru a climate adjustment room prior to seeing the fresco.  The work is awesome and after our allotted 15 minutes we felt we needed much longer but were content to have seen one of the worlds’ most important art works.   If you go we recommend you order tickets in advance www.cenacolovinciano.net

Next we headed off to see Lombardia’s most famous square,  Piazza del Duomo with it’s huge Duomo and the beautiful Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II referred to as Milan’s “drawing room”.  The Duomo which is one of the largest Gothic churches in the world took 500 years to complete.

We also saw the famous opera house La Scala, in Piazza della Scala, and the hotel were Giuseppe Verdi died.  Sergio told us that the Milanesi loved Verdi so much that as he lay dying in his hotel room they would bring straw to spread on the cobblestone street so the noise of the horse hoofs would not disturb him.

No trip to this fashion capital would be complete without a stroll down Via Montenapoleone part of what is referred to as the golden triangle one of the three greatest shopping areas in Italy.  Needless to say there are no bargains here.  After much window shopping we were hungry so Sergio took us over to the canal district for a drink and some appetizers which was more like a buffet dinner.  Finally back to Sergio and Daniela’s for caffe and a digestivo then it was time to head back to Ivrea.  While we only saw a small part of this beautiful city we think it’s worth a visit and can’t wait to go back. 

We have now come to the last two days of Carnevale.  Monday morning is devoted to preparing the “Scarli” which are ten foot poles wrapped in heather, juniper and wild herbs gathered in the nearby hills.   In each of the five borgo a Scarlo will be erected for use on Shrove Tuesday.  This ceremony is performed by the Generale, his staff, and for each borgo, the most recently married couple who signify the rights of the family in the face of arbitrary interference.  The afternoon is dedicated to Battaglia di Arance.

Shrove Tuesday the town is busy with activity and full of tourists.  The early afternoon is devoted to the last major parade which includes bands and various marching groups from the area and also groups from other countries and of course the Mugnaia in her gilded carriage throwing candy and mimosa flowers to the crowd.  After the parade there is the final Battaglia di Arance and then everyone prepares for the evening activites.  They begin at dusk as everyone heads to Piazza Castello for the burning of the first Scarlo.  The scarlo is lit by the Abba from this borgo and within minutes the sky is alight and the crowd looks on as the flame races to the top.  The Scarlo is a symbol of freedom to the Ivreans and it is said if the Scarlo burns quickly it is a sign of a prosperous year.  This event is repeated in the next two borgo.  The next to last and primary Scarlo is in Piazza di Citta which is once again filled to capacity.  This is the only Scarlo burning attended by the Mugnaia and represents her last official act.  It is also the last time we see the Generale on horseback.   As the Scarlo is lit the Generale is standing at attention in his stirrups on his horse, and the Mugnaia standing in her carriage holds her sword high in the air while the Scarlo burns.  The final Scarlo is in the San Grato borgo after which the most somber part of the festival takes place.  Known as the Marcia Funebre (Funeral March) it is led by the sound of a single piper and a single drummer and proceeds thru the old part of town back to Piazza Ottinetti.   The only sound heard for the entire march is the piper, the drummer and most eerie of all the sound of the Generale and his staff dragging their swords on the pavement.  What always amazes me is that all of the townspeople are walking in this procession yet it’s so quiet that even if you are blocks back you still hear the sound of the swords.

Finally we arrive at Piazza Ottinetti and the Carnevale is officially over.  The last act is the goodbyes which is also part of the tradition in that you don’t tell your friends goodnight but rather “arvedse a giobia a’n bot” which is dialect for “goodbye till Thursday at one” a reference to next year’s Carnevale.
Unless you’re from Ivrea it’s hard to understand the attachment to Carnevale but believe me it is something that is part of your being.  From the donning of their red berretto, to the orange battles, to the eating of polenta merluzzo on Ash Wednesday.  It’s a way of keeping the history and traditions alive and passing them on to the next generation.  So on Ash Wednesday even if we are not in Ivrea I make merluzzo (cod fish) and we remember the excitement of Carnevale.  (Click on any image in this post to see an expanded view.)
                
Viva la Mugnaia!!!

As mentioned in Part I, the activities in Ivrea went into high gear this past Saturday when this years Mugnaia, Irene Quaglia Ferraris was presented to the people from the balcony of the Municipal Center.  The piazza is always packed as are all the surrounding balconies.  The Mugnaia or “miller’s daughter is perhaps the most popular of the Carnevale characters.  She represents a woman named Violetta who as the legend goes was the prime mover of the revolt in 1194 in which the townspeople overthrew Count Raineri di Biandrate and destroyed his castle.  Violetta whose father ran one of the mills along the Dora River was betrothed to Toniotto.  Keep in mind that in those days there were certain rights and privileges the Count enjoyed over his subjects including new brides.  Violetta was not your ordinary subject and decided to take the offensive.  As the story goes she hid a dagger in her petticoats and at the critical moment cut off the Count’s head. The figure of Violetta has thus been for centuries the symbol of freedom from all forms of tyranny and dear to the hearts of all Ivreans.  Once the Mugnaia is presented by the Cancelliere and the crowds welcome her chanting “viva la mugnaia” she comes down to the piazza and is joined by her guards, the Generale, and his entourage.  Followed by the townspeople they lead a procession thru the 5 borgos (neighborhoods) of Ivrea which culminates in a fireworks display over the Dora River.  The evening continues with parties in each borgo and the Mugnaia hosts a dinner dance for the dignitaries, organizers and past Mugnaia’s.  As an aside, the records show that in 1879 the Mugnaia was one Agate Gilardini-Pistonato, I have to think she is somehow related because we were the only Gilardini family in Ivrea.

Sunday is a full day of events most noteworthy being the serving of the fagioli (beans) at various sites in the town.  This commemorates the distribution of food to the needy by the various Confraternities during the middle ages.  The afternoon begins with a parade thru the streets of each borgo, led by the Pifferi e Tamburi (fife and drum corps) the Generale and his staff, the Abbas on their ponies, and a gilded carriage with the Mugnaia and her attendants.  The rear of the parade is made up of  the carts of orange throwers which are pulled by teams of two or four horses decorated for the occasion.  They are followed by the 9 teams each made of 100’s of orange throwers who will participate in the Battaglia di Arance (the orange battles) in the various squares of the town.  The Battaglia di Arance represents the battle of the townspeople (those on foot) against the forces of the tyrants (those in the carts).  The battles are fierce and you sometimes wonder if perhaps the participants are taking it much too seriously, however, at the end of the day everyone shakes hands and walks away friends.  This part of Carnevale is exciting and has therefore become the most popular with the tourists and the foreign media.  There is a very good You Tube video at this link if you’d like to see it in action.  To be continued. (Click on any picture in this post to see an expanded view.)

While most Italian cities celebrate Carnival (Carnevale in Italian) in some form or fashion my hometown of Ivrea has one of the more famous celebrations following closely behind Venice and Viareggio.  Rather than the costume balls of Venice the Storico Carnevale di Ivrea is more of a historical reenactment of several periods in the city’s history.  Unfortunately, the part most known to the world is the infamous Battaglia di Arance (the orange battles), which are usually shown as 10-second sound bites on news programs around the world.  As any native of Ivrea will attest, Carnevale in Ivrea is a special time when the townspeople recreate a pageant which celebrates the independence of the city from oppressive rulers; Count Raineri di Biandrate in 1194, the Marchese del Monferrato in 1266, and Napoleons troops in the early 1800’s.

While most Italian cities celebrate Carnival (Carnevale in Italian) in some form or fashion my hometown of Ivrea has one of the more famous celebrations following closely behind Venice and Viareggio.  Rather than the costume balls of Venice the Storico Carnevale di Ivrea is more of a historical reenactment of several periods in the city’s history.  Unfortunately, the part most known to the world is the infamous Battaglia di Arance (the orange battles), which are usually shown as 10-second sound bites on news programs around the world.  As any native of Ivrea will attest, Carnevale in Ivrea is a special time when the townspeople recreate a pageant which celebrates the independence of the city from oppressive rulers; Count Raineri di Biandrate in 1194, the Marchese del Monferrato in 1266, and Napoleons troops in the early 1800’s.

The pageant plays out over several months beginning in January with the announcement of the Generale, one of the two major characters, and the presentation of the Abba.

The abba are children, two from each of the five parishes of Ivrea, who represent the abbots or lay priors who had taken part in the individual parish carnival celebrations prior to 1808.  Likewise, the character of the Generale goes back to the first combined carnevale in 1808, which took place when Ivrea was under the rule of Napolean.

While there are various historical events which occur in the weeks leading to Lent, the activities intensify on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday when the mayor turns over control of the city to the Generale and his staff known as the Stato Maggiore who are dressed as cavalrymen of Napoleon’s army.   

There is also the appearance of the Sostituto Gran Cancelliere a position added in 1808 which is responsible for recording the activities of each years Carnevale in a special book as has been done for almost 200 years.  His assistants, and Bill’s favorite characters, are the Vivandiere, four young ladies who accompany the Gran Cancelliere.  This entourage led by the Pifferi e Tamburi (fife and drum corps) march through town and to the Duomo to pay their respects to the Vescovo (Bishop) of Ivrea.  Nothing of importance happens on Friday as everyone is preparing for the Saturday night announcement of the person who will play the Mugnaia or millers daughter, the heroine of Carnevale.  Every little girl in Ivrea grows up with the dream of someday being the Mugnaia and the position is not taken lightly.  The name of the Mugnaia is a closely guarded secret until 9 p.m. on Saturday night when the townspeople crowd into the main square of Ivrea to hear the announcement.  This years Mugnaia is Irene Quaglia Ferraris.  To be continued.  (Click on any image above to see expanded view.)

The last several weeks have been somewhat hectic as we once again helped our Italian friends at the New York International Trade Fair at the Jacob Javits center.  Several of the producers we deal with participated and as is normally the case the process was not without a bit of adventure.  The Italian pavilion at the show is sponsored by the Italian Trade Commission and focused on artisans from Umbria.

Our primary involvement is with Antonio Gialletti owner with his brother Carlo of Gialletti Guilio and Pino Marchetti who with his wife Sylvia own Peccetti Gino.  I mainly help with delivery of goods and set up of the booth and Laura helps out with the translation etc.   The show is good for our producers as it provides additional exposure for their products and will hopefully result in some future business for them.  The foot traffic at the show seemed better than last year so hopefully that’s an indication that things are starting to improve.  The show runs for five days but ends up being a week with delivery and set up.  Fortunately it’s a slow period at the Jersey shore so we were able to get away from the store without any major problems.

After the show ended Antonio and Daniela stayed with us for a few extra days and helped out our economy by visiting the local outlet center.  With the strong Euro everything was a bargain for them, similar to what it use to be years ago for us when we went to Italy.

Anyway, as a result of the show we are now unpacking some new items which should be on the shelves within the next week or so.  I've included a sneak preview in the pictures above of some of the items (click each picture to see an expanded view).

Ciao

Bill and Laura

We were overdue for a refresh of our website and, as any of you who've visited our site before can tell, we're renovating our online presence from top to bottom!  If you check your browser address bar, you may notice that this site resides at a new address, "gilardiniceramica.com" and that is now our primary site address ( the old address, "gilardiniusa.com", will also bring you to this site).

In addition to updating the appearance of our website, we'll be improving the security of our online product purchasing by employing PayPal for transaction processing.  We are in the midst of rebuilding our online catalog (easier product category navigation, new product photos, and more descriptive detail on products) so please bear with us as we complete that task.

In addition to communicating with you through this new blog, we'll be using Facebook very soon and we'll let you know when you can come and be a "fan" of Gilardini Ceramica Italiana!

Bill and I are currently busy running around to several trade shows in the tri-state area and our next posting will give some detail on our experiences there.

We hope you enjoy the new site and please don't hesitate to provide us with feedback as we are continually seeking to improve our visitor experience.

Grazie,

Laura and Bill