Magical music of the looms
Making textiles by hand is no small task – one Italian granddaughter is preserving the tradition, writes
Kelli Brett.
Who wouldn’t be up for a trip to Italy with Luxury Gold staying at the finest hotels in top locations and travelling by luxury coach in style? I was in it for the local epicurean delights, the wine and the elegant group soirees. During a visit to the town of Perugia I was excited at the prospect of a glorious walk along the Corso Vannucci to the magnificent main square.
I discovered black Umbrian truffles and torta al formaggio, the local cheese bread traditionally eaten during the Easter period. But I’ll be honest, an excursion to look at handmade textiles was not on my bucket list.
The Travel Corporation brands – Luxury Gold is one of them – support TreadRight, their not-for-profit foundation to encourage sustainable tourism. They make it a priority for guests and travellers to visit a TreadRight project first-hand, on their travels. So as I munched on the last crumbs of my torta al formaggio we wandered along a winding path and came upon an intriguing sign: ‘‘Laboratorio Giuditta Brozzetti’’.
The walk had not given me a full sense of anticipation for the building we were about to enter. Up a few stairs, that seemed almost like a back entrance, we entered a space that was truly extraordinary.
The San Francesco delle Donne is one of the oldest Franciscan churches in Italy, and the oldest in Perugia. It’s been redesigned to house the laboratorio, while still retaining its sense of reverence and esteem.
Shafts of sunlight filtered through glorious arched windows, speckling
across richly-textured, hand-woven fabrics representative of an long-gone era. Strung with vividly-coloured thread, the looms – dating back to 1750 – were being worked by Marta Cucchia and her dedicated team. It was magical.
Cucchia told the story of her grandmother, Giuditta Brozzetti (1877-1975) and her determination to keep the artisan tradition of handwoven textiles alive.
Brozzetti first learned of the tradition when hearing noises coming from many of the local farm houses. Inside she discovered the farmers’ wives working on looms to weave textiles for their household. The music of the looms called to Brozzetti. In 1921 she left her job in education to pursue her passion for the romance and art of these traditional textiles. She opened a workshop in Umbria’s capital city, and founded a weaving school to give young girls the opportunity of a professional future.
The music of these magical looms still plays today at the Laboratorio Giuditta Brozzetti conducted magnificently by Cucchia. I am transfixed as she moves the antique loom’s paddles up and down, simultaneously. She sends a shuttle – laced with more thread – back and forth to create the painstakingly intricate stitches. It can take many days to produce the smallest piece of cloth.
It is almost difficult to touch the pieces on display, they are made with such care and love. The tablecloths, fashion items, napkins and wall hangings on offer are by no means cheap, but they are artisan and to be treasured.
Using the funds provided by the TreadRight Heritage Initiative grants programme, Cucchia is establishing educational tools for spreading the tradition of weaving. She’s also building e-commerce capabilities to increase online sales to provide a stable source of income for the community-based co-operative.
Kelli Brett travelled to Italy with Luxury Gold (luxurygold vacations.com).