Chiara Vigo
Chiara Vigo lives in Sardinia.
It was a strong-windy winter afternoon with Minstral at force 8 !
Perfect Day to watch the storm on the island where live Chiara Vigo. Next to the Archaeological Museum of Sant’Antioco, the city council gave a room to this “Maestra” for having her precious Bisso’s plots with the old hand loom in the hometown.
What the Bisso is?
Just that afternoon we understood what that fabric was so fragile: reddish with golden flashes and so intensely sea fragrant. The Bisso is the filament that Pinna Nobilis secretes, it lives in shallow sandy water and in fact, the Sant’Antioco’s lagoon is the perfect atmosphere.
Since ancient times this sea-materil was used for unique products and precious fabric often dressed by personalities like: kings, dukes, princes, popes…
Today, only Chiara Vigo remaining to work Bisso in the Mediterranean and Europe, and among the few in the world!
Chiara works on these old axes and rods over a really monument which is her loom, built at the end of 600’s and passed down from generation to generation among the women in her family as always they are weavers, and many Bisso’s initiates.
She makes us a gift as we can participate in this ancestral event which is to prepare the wire by removing the impurities of Pinna Nobilis: sand and algae, spinning with few experts gestures and then weaving with delicate hand movements.
“You can not sell Byssus, you can only donate it!”
In a moment it comes a beautiful essay that tied the wrist of Daniela and becomes a valuable bracelet. Chiara accompany this gift with a kind of prayer, almost a blessing.
“You can not sell Byssus, you can only donate it!”
She urges to us! In fact, among the many rules of the weavers of the sea’s silk is precisely this that sort of money for such treatment.
We are amazed by the magic words of this woman who recalls some ancient stories about the old masters of Sardinia. The Mistral whirls out the window making this meeting even more intense and mystical!
Chiara Vigo has a own blog where you can get more images, it’s just in italian anyway …we recommend you to visit it!
This video-doc by Great Big Story is pretty interesting:
Where does Chiara live?
We are at just 40 miles away from Chiara Vigo’s home town so, if you would love to sleep here and than get to it with public trasports like train or bus we will be really happy! So check our best offers out 😉
Text and Photos by: © ® Daniela and Michele cadelsol.net 2010/2023
