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THE TRACE OF
LACE by Paolo Coretti
The story of Friuli lace is a the outside school – in Gorizia wonderful story of women, and courageously open to all extraordinary women since the girls in the city. In a short they are utterly special. A time eastern Friuli, as well as POEMS ENTWINED story made also of women the nearby areas of Slovenia IN LACE ARE COMPOSED with a strong, non-conformist and Istria, began to produce character, always interested in lace that, reflecting Flemish IN THE ANCIENT the progress of society. Even Bohemian influences, ART OF THE WOMEN OF FRIULI and though these women came distinguished itself from the from countries far from this Italian and Veneto lace in boundary region, they were terms of patterns and techperfectly in tune with the niques. From that moment, women of Friuli, because the lace inspired by the type they shared the same special way of living and working: fashionable in Flanders and made with bobbins enjoyed resoluteness, ingeniousness, tenacious stubbornness, curia greater success. osity towards innovation and at the same time respect of At the same time Venetian needle lace became less poputradition and ancient customs. The first important charlar. In the same period, in 1696 to be precise, a resourceful acters of this long line of women who made the story of Bohemian woman, wife of an employee of the famous Friulian lace were the Ursoline nun Angela Aloisio, who ancient mercury mine, introduced in Idrija (Slovenia) came from Liège in the 17th century - a period when the the art of making lace with bobbins (in Slovenian, the city witnessed the flowering of the bobbin lace – and the wonderful onomatopoeic word “klekelnji” reproduces the Mother Superior Catherina Lambertina de Pauli Stravius, sweet and familiar clicking of wooden bobbins). she too born in Liège, who left Prague for Gorizia in She gave life to a lace culture independent from the Vene1672, to lead the Ursoline nunnery. tian and Burano style, but similarly to what was happening We should remember that in the Venetian Friuli (the in Gorizia, that was closer to the artistics traits of Flemish part of Friuli that belonged to the Republic of Venice lace though reflecting the Slovenian carachter. The art of from 1445 to 1797, when Napoleon caused the lowering lace developed so much in Friuli that it became one of the of the flag of San Marco) the art of creating lace was most important manufactures in the region (without forwidespread and quite similar to the art of Burano. But getting the art of weaving promoted by Jacopo Linussio both nuns could count on their significant experiences in Carnia and organising woman labour at home for the in the greatest European capitals and were also endowed first time in Europe). Lace produced in the Gorizia area at with a remarkable farsightedness, and this situation did that time was more refined. It was an exclusive production not stop them from teaching the art of producing lace for rich customers, nobles and the high clergy, who used to the young women who attended the nunnery and to lace to decorate their homes, for sacred vestments and establish the first school – called the “scuola di fuori”, furnishing. While in the 18th century Idrija's production
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