WHY HAS THIS TRADITION LASTED FOR SO LONG? Isn’t it way more practical to do this by machine? Thankfully, patient Italian women, dedicated to making life pretty, have kept the tradition alive.
Embroidery and lacemaking began over a thousand years ago as nuns’ work, with busy-as-bees holy women decorating priests’ vestments and altar cloths. Embroidery came first, in 1000, when Arabs taught it to Sicilian women and then the craft spread to the mainland. Lacemaking eclipsed embroidery in the frou-frouier Renaissance, when the rich nobility wanted it on everything from their tables to their shoes. Lace became as valuable as cash—farm estates were traded for it; wealthy girls’ dowry trunks were stuffed with it.
Demand became so great all over Europe in the seventeenth century that middle-class women began to take on the work—it was a good, honest way to make a living back then. Many got sent to lacemaking schools (run by nuns) at age five. They’d start out cutting thread and move on to master a specialty pattern, stitching the same design for the rest of their careers. The work was intense, studios were dimly lit. Many went blind.
Most of the signore who craft embroidery and lace today are in their eighties. They learned from their grandmothers, many who were employed in workshops set up during World War I, so women could make a living while the men were off fighting. If you have the chance to watch one of them crafting a small piece that takes hours to create, you’ll never balk at the prices for handmade doilies or embroidered tablecloths again.
Here are places where you can get the real thing:
Burano–Venice
The island of Burano has been world famous for lacemaking since the 1500s. The Venetian legend goes that it started when a man who was heading off to sea gave his beloved an intricate piece of seaweed. Pining for him, she took out her needle and copied the design. The more practical story is that these island women were experts at mending their husband’s fishing nets, so when lace making came along they took to it naturally.
Now Burano, a twenty-five-minute vaporetto ride from the Fondamente Nuove in Venice, is covered in lace shops. Though many sell machine-made pieces from China or Eastern Europe, the handmade tradition lives on in places such as:
Copious displays of antique lace and videos telling the story of lacemaking in Burano make this a great place to begin your Burano shopping expedition. Best of all is an area where senior citizen signoras sit and make lace, happy to be showing off their skills—they are usually there from about 10 to 3:30, except for lunchtime.
This impressive shop is close to the ferry landing, where you’ll find everything from bed linens to tablecloths to handkerchiefs and blouses. It specializes in custom orders and the staff will also proudly show you their antique collection. Their back garden is a pleasant place to enjoy a caffè and Venetian cookies. Check the website for guided tours and courses in lacemaking.
A family-run shop that’s been following the tradition of lacemaker Emilia since the 1800s. Here you’ll also find fine linens, cashmeres, silks, and satins.
Florence–Tuscany
Grazia Giachi began embroidering at the age of eight in the 1940s, and today, stepping into her luxurious store, you’re surrounded by beautiful displays of silk lingerie with accents of lace, children’s wear, and reasonably priced embroidered tea towels and table linens. She also has a store in the center of Greve in Chianti and a workshop where it all began—in the Chianti countryside, which can be visited by appointment.
Wow! Seven glorious rooms in the former Palazzo Aldobrandini show off awesome hand-made embroidered pieces—from table linens, outfits for newborns that make grandmamas swoon, and elegant lingerie. The business began with the late great Loretta in 1967, when she opened up a small Florence shop, and now is run by her daughter, serving loyal clientele, including celebrities such as Nicole Kidman and Madonna.
Offida–Le Marche
Come to this jewel-of-a-village near Ascoli Piceno to see lacemakers sitting outside their doorways working away, carrying on a tradition that’s been going on here for over five hundred years. Signora Rosina of Il Gioiello is a star of the village, welcoming you to her studio/shop, where she displays prized lacework and sells lace earrings that make beautiful souvenirs.
Santa Margherita Ligure–Liguria
Sweetheart Luisa de Gasperi can be found making lace in this charming seaside town that once was full of lacemakers. She also teaches lacemaking classes, and displays in her shop antique lace from the region.
Isola Maggiore–Umbria
Taking the ferry to this small island in Lake Trasimeno is a step-back-in time adventure. Isola Maggiore is a mini-Burano, where senior citizen signoras sit on rickety chairs on the vias branching out from the main piazza making lace. Elena Guglielmi was the first to open a workshop here in the early 1900s, creating a style called irlandesi, which was inspired by her Irish servant.
Start here to get to know the island’s lace tradition and shop for beautiful handmade creations.
TIP: For special events focusing on lacemaking around Italy, go to: www.merlettoitaliano.it
Golden Day: Visit the island of Burano in the Venetian lagoon to enjoy the vibrantly painted homes and the many beautiful lace shops. Have lunch at Gatto Nero (Fondamenta della Giudecca 88, 041 730120, www.gattonero.com, closed Monday, reservations essential), run by the wonderful Bovo family. The Risotto Burano Style, made with locally caught ghiozzi fish, is marvelous, as is the housemade tiramisu.