Apr 26, 2009 0
Are You Going to Venice This Summer?
Are you going to Venice this summer? If so, you might want to check out the summer medieval carnival, the Market of the Gaite 2009 , in Bevagna, a region in Umbria (the official Italian site of the event). This event happens from June 19th through the 28th and it draws over 100,000 people to the tiny town every summer. On display: craftspersons demonstrating how paints, candles, paper, pharmaceutical herbs, and silk are made, as well as a demonstration of how fabrics are dyed; all this is done using the technologies of centuries ago.
There are also contests among the guilds during the festival. During our 2009 Spring Break, I joined Debb McCreery and Tony Doyle, for a first-hand tour of how some of these ancient crafts were produced.
In the photos: Serena, an Italian law student and our tour guide; showing us how paint is made; the streets of Bevagna.
