Chiavari crafts
The Chiavari chairs
Since the Middle Ages, the village of Chiavari have been characterised by lively crafts and trade activities, which over the centuries have contributed to form the unique appearance of the city. New impetus for activities came from the Economic Society, founded in 1791, which promoted the Tigullio Exhibition, a showcase for local production activities.
Furniture makers and carvers
In the past centuries, the famous “bancalari”, worked the wood from the forests in the hinterland of Chiavari. Chiavari, together with Savona, stood as the most flourishing Ligurian timber market. The abundance of raw materials encouraged both the production of beech oars – “Via dei Remolari” (the oar-makers street) still exists in the old town -, and the production of wooden furnishings inspired by Genoese models, many of which can still be admired inside the sacred buildings in the area.
As far as civil furniture is concerned, it was probably the Genoese artisans who supplied the market. Joined in a corporation, they had already tried to establish a sort of protectionism since the 16th century, first requiring the members to reside in Genoa and subsequently establishing the possibility of enrolling in the Art for a fee with the obligation, for “foreigners”, to pay higher rates than the Genoese. The importation of products made outside the city was also prohibited. Therefore, the Chiavari cabinetmakers had to limit their production to artefacts inspired by Genoese models.
From the 16th century, the taste for carving spread, which is part of the great Ligurian tradition that began in the fifteenth century and culminated in the eighteenth with the experience of A.M. Maragliano.
In 1574, the Chiavarese Paolo Manfredi worked in the Collegiate Church of Pietrasanta. Another famous carver was Michelangelo Torriglia, who in 1632 built the choir of San Giovanni Battista Church, richly decorated, as well as that of San Giacomo di Rupinaro. The choir stalls of Nostra Signora dell’Orto (1738) from San Francesco Church are more sober and adapted in 1813 for the Cathedral by Giulio Descalzi, master of Giuseppe Gaetano Descalzi, “il Campanino”.
The creation of Chiavari chairs dates back to 1807, the year in which the Marquis Stefano Rivarola brought some Parisian chairs to Chiavari and asked local artisans to copy them. Only one agreed to carry out the work. This was Giuseppe Gaetano Descalzi, son of a well-known cooper and nephew of the bell-ringer of the church of Bacezza, which is why he was nicknamed “Campanino” from the word bell in Italian.
He, elaborating on the Parisian model, created a new type of extremely light chair that was sturdy at the same time, characterised by a slender and rounded line, respecting the natural curvature of the wood.
The lightness was given by the use of maple wood (today cherry and beech are preferred); the strength derived from the assembly technique, obtained by fitting the components together and gluing them with a hot glue produced with animal bones. The seats were made directly on the chairs with the weaving of four strips of willow bark.
The “Campanino” chairs were very popular in the European courts of the 19th century, in Naples and in Moscow, in Turin and in Vienna and, from the 1930s onwards, they were exported all over the world. Antonio Canova also appreciated them for the combination of lightness and solidity.
At one time, the chair workshops were concentrated in the ancient quarter of Rupinaro. Over time, however they have depleted in number to the few companies represented in this exhibition.
macramè
This typical production comes directly from the Arab world, with which the Ligurian sailors had relations in the Middle Ages. The name macramè derives from the Arabic word migraham which means fringe for embellishment.
At the end of the 15th century, the macramé workers merged with the Tovagliari, corporation, which had just begun in Liguria, and in the seventeenth century, macramé experienced its greatest diffusion. In the 18th century, it was still appreciated for embellishing household linen.
The work is complicated and involves knotting the threads of the towel fringes, using fingers only, without the aid of any tool.
In past centuries, Chiavari women used to work, in groups, under the arcades of the old town. The production was destined for export (especially to South America) and the House of Savoy really appreciated Chiavari’s macramé too.
Little by little, this craft has died out significantly too.
LOCAL FOOD AND WINE
Local food and wine encompass a diverse array of traditional products deeply rooted in the territory’s culture, including signature dishes, and carefully crafted local wines.
Typical products:
– Sorrisi di Chiavari. These sweets were created and patented by Defilla in 1960. Renowned for their exquisite flavour, they are considered one of the finest traditional specialties of the Ligurian Riviera. Sorrisi are made of gianduja paste flavoured with maraschino, encased between two chocolate meringue shells, and coated with dark chocolate.
- –Corzetti. Round lasagnette made of durum wheat, stamped with special wooden moulds that imprint patterns and decorations.
- Riviera di Levante DOP extra virgin olive oil, made from Lavagnina, Razzola, and Pignolo olive varieties. In 2021, the Municipality of Chiavari, along with several neighbouring municipalities, joined the Associazione Nazionale Città dell’Olio (National Association of Olive Oil Cities).
Each year, Chiavari participates in the “Best Olive Grove” contest sponsored by the Municipality of Leivi. This initiative rewards municipalities that have distinguished themselves in the care and production of olive oil. - The “Misto Chiavari” hazelnut has always been a source of pride for the farmers of the Chiavari inland area. The city also takes pride in being the economic and commercial reference point for the surrounding area. Hence the name “Misto Chiavari” (Chiavari mix). A variable blend of as many as seven cultivars: Tapparona, Dall’orto, Sraeghetta, Bianchetta, and Del Rosso blended with small quantities of Menöia, Longhera, and Trietta.
After selecting each variety of fruit individually, the subsequent production phase is carried out entirely by hand. The next step involves cleaning, drying, and sorting them. The only tools available to hazelnut growers are “shelling machines,” which are used to separate the woody shell of the hazelnuts from the pulp.
WINES
White Wines:
Vermentino
Bianchetta (grape variety: Albarola)
Red Wines:
Ciliegiolo
TYPICAL DISHES
- Farinata. A typical Ligurian dish made only with chickpea flour, water, salt, and extra virgin olive oil.
- Torta di Chiavari (Chiavari Cake). According to the traditional recipe, the cake, with its mildly alcoholic flavour, should be topped with cream and the base encircled by a layer of biscuits. Today, it is lighter and more delicate, enriched with amaretti, cat tongue biscuits, whipped cream, Marsala wine, Curaçao, and rum.
- Cappon Magro. A simple seafood salad, which in the past was considered a “humble” dish for fishermen. It was made with hardtack soaked in water and vinegar, and leftovers of fish and vegetables, mixed together in bullezumme (literally, in a chaotic fashion, like the rough sea), and seasoned with olive oil, garlic, and herbs. It later became part of the traditional Ligurian cuisine, much more elaborate and visually striking, enriched with the finest ingredients: boiled vegetables, shrimps and/or lobster, and the typical salsa verde. The Cappon magro is typically served on special occasions, such as Christmas.
- Minestrone. It is a traditional first course, or even a one-dish meal, of Genoese cuisine, which sailors used to prepare aboard their gozzi (traditional boats) to sell to the crew on board. It is made with seasonal vegetables (its taste can vary from summer to winter), with pesto added at the end of cooking, off the heat, and with short, stick-shaped pasta called brichetti (matchstick pasta).
Each family has its own recipe to pass down to their children. It is a good tradition to eat minestrone the day after it is made, as it brings out the flavour.
