Artisan Pietro Picetti

by Jennie Breeze

Title

Artisan Pietro Picetti

Artist

Jennie Breeze

Medium

Photograph - Original Img_0687

Description

Photo of the wood carving tools owned by the famous carpenter, Pietro Picetti living in the small village of Varese Ligure, Italy. Croxetti or Corzetti is a classic Ligurian dish made with the traditional wooden pasta stamp. It is typically a regional Ligurian kind of rare pasta which you won't find anywhere outstide of Liguria or anywhere else in Italy. Pietro Picetti is the only carpenter left making these distinct wooden stamps by hand. He is still dedicated to maintaining the lost tradition. We visited his workshop found in Varese Ligure without a specific address. You won't find any signs for a "Croxetti Stamp Store". Varese Ligure is an ancient village full of stalls spilling over with all manner of wares, from ripe, local fruit, vegetables, huge wheels of cheese, hanging salamis to hammers, watering cans, saucepans, shovels and friendly local Italians. It is a beautiful village in the province of La Spezia, at the head of the Val di Vara, known as the Organic Valley. Pietro's workshop is past the old castello, over the bridge and right in the little piazza. There was Pietro, who stood just inside, sorting blocks of wood on a workbench. He makes his croxetti stamps from beech, pear and nutwood. The bottom part of the stamp is hollowed out to make a ring, to punch out the circles of pasta. The top part of the stamp has two flat halves, each with a carved design, used to emboss the croxetti. Pietro forms the body of the stamp on a lathe, sketches the designs in pencil, then goes to work with razor-sharp chisels to produce a mini-sculpture that takes about three hours to finish. The natural wood is then polished with beeswax and is ready to use. A lot of work for the price of about 30. He humbly explained that he has a constant flow of visitors from all over the world who travel from far away to this small town to get their hands on his work. He showed us various wooden molds from his great grandfather, who used to be in exactly the same trade. We were amazed by all the beautiful designs, and the richness of detail. Such intricate patterns, once printed into the dough, make its surface uneven, enhancing its ability to absorb pasta sauce. You are not just observing or purchasing a utensil, but also the history of it, and the passion that went into it. The value of what you buy becomes priceless, since it is not just a commercial item - it has been uniquely crafted by an artisan.

Uploaded

February 19th, 2014

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