Offida- city of lace makers

   Sitting in the shade of the simple stone buildings of Offida, their hands fly, weaving the bobbins over one another, pinning each twist in the pattern down to the bolster pillow upon which they work. These elderly women follow in a tradition of lace making dating back to at least the 16th century. Originally a rural form of decoration bobbin lace came into vogue in the 18th century among the upper classes. Through the organizational efforts of certain orders, among them the Benedictines, the intricate work of the women of Offida became a valuable and highly sought after commodity.

  The use of Lace on garments as well as for decoration has fluctuated in its popularity since, but the tradition of it's production has been handed down from mother to daughter up to the present day. And it is the hands of some of these mothers, or perhaps grandmothers, which labor over their delicate and intricate craft in the afternoons. There are shops of varying professionalism tucked along the main street where the results of their painstaking labor can be purchased. We visited two of these shops. One tucked away behind a slightly worn old woman, was stuffed with bobbins, threads, patterns, and other tools of the trade which my uneducated eyes could not distinguish. Here small and beautiful earrings, pendants and other trifles could be had for around 10 euros. The other shop, just across the way, boasted a multi-generational staff of at least four women. Bridging three generations, these entrepreneurial ladies had divided up the labor to play to individual strengths. There was the great grandmother, picturesquely making lace in a comfortable chair, The grandmother helping visitors to the shop try the technique for themselves, and the daughter(s?) hustling between the polished glass cases of extravagantly prices wares, attentive the very moods of potential customers. In this small but lovely shop 10 Euros would buy you nothing, but if you had a few hundred and wanted to bring home a beautiful keepsake, there were several lovely items behind glass to choose from. I bought the cheapest item in the shop, a bracelet for 35 Euros of which I am extraordinarily fond. I mention the price only to provide a range of the available items although it is possible that I may have bargained a bit for it.

Although I am not passionately interested in lace for it's own sake, as an illustrator I deeply admire the devotion to detail and commitment to a lengthy project that so many of these projects represent. These are women, who like myself, sit down to a project that includes a level of attention that the future recipient may never look carefully enough to even notice, yet which creates an overall aesthetic at once wonderfully complex and at the same time familiar.

   Italy has a relationship to pattern that I greatly admire, perhaps because it mirrors my own. Pattern is present in so many places, from tiles and ceramics to textiles and handicrafts. Moving toward the south of Italy it is my impression that there is more Arabian influence whereas the north shares some similarities with southern France. I am always on the look out for interesting uses of patterns and here in Offida I absorbed as much as possible of the twisted helices, golden serpents, and two dimensional flowers. I feel that they would make interesting additions to paintings and am as yet awaiting the perfect moment to include one or the other of them.

Have you been to Offida or another lace making center? Have you considered the patterns they create? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this post you might also enjoy:
-San Marino Another of my Italian posts from this past trip
-Museo della Carta A small paper mill near Lago di Garda

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For those who have read until the end, I am adding this bonus photo of the large and impressive nativity scene in the grotto of the cathedral. It lights up and the people move.