For some time we had been looking for a way to decorate the walls of the rooms with something that could recall Calabrian history and culture.
We didn't want the usual photos of places to visit, but something more authentic and original.
This is how we came across Giuseppe Talarico and his project THE CALABRESER defined as:
"an artistic project born from the desire to make Calabria speak through the covers of an imaginary magazine inspired by "The New Yorker" and all the fantastic spin-off projects from all over the world born with the aim of enhancing places of the heart through visual language."
I recommend you take a look at the site:
What we chose for our rooms:
Every illustration is very characteristic and fully represent the "Calabresità", I confess that it was very difficult to choose which ones to include in the rooms..
After a long reflection (we wanted to take them all :P) here are the illustrations that you can admire in the rooms of the B&B:
N° 56 • UOMINI DEL FUOCO (men of fire)
Artwork Christian Romano
Text Giuseppe Talarico
"There are jobs that I really have difficulty placing in a world where house heating is turned on at the push of a button. The coal burner for example, in my world made of pixels and back plasters (yes, I spend too much time sitting), is a job that no longer exists..
..Yet in Calabria it is a profession that survives, with the dignity of those who work while getting their hands dirty. These men of fire, as Saverio Strati defined them, are the last bastion of an ancient profession, which is repeated as in an almost mystical ritual, handed down from generation to generation. The last charcoal burners of Serra San Bruno are not a family, but they are a real dynasty, and their hard and in some ways romantic work has intrigued photographers and directors from all over the world over the years...(continue) "
For the full description and the possibility to purchase the illustration:
N° 33 • LE BAGNAROTE (women of Bagnara)
Artwork Giorgio Grano
"Let's face it, we Calabrians have an atavistic propensity to complain, we like to complain, it lightens us up, it makes us see the world from the worst perspective and consequently we lower our expectations. Lament is steeped in our culture. But in our history, there are those who instead made lament a job. The women of Bagnara (RC) were hired during funerals to complain and sing the praises of the deceased (usually wealthy and little loved by the rest of the population), like the ancient Sorcerers. In the nearby towns the saying still exists: “Chi mi ti cianggianu ddu bagnaroti” (I hope two bagnarote cry for you) to wish evil on others. There would be a lot to tell about the Bagnarote women, strong and stubborn women, who in the post-earthquake difficulties found their salvation in their great propensity to work. In the stories that have been handed down, they are described as a mix between Amazons and Pirates, imagine if Wonder Woman had a daughter with Jack Sparrow. They replaced men in "heavy" jobs and did not disdain smuggling, certainly not the sweet little women of the English aristocracy. There is also an esoteric component regarding the bagnarote, in fact they were famous for the production of a "magic potion" useful against the evil eye, but that's another story..."
For the full description and the possibility to purchase the illustration:
N° 18 • CORAJISIMA
Artwork e Testo Giuseppe Talarico
"One thing that has always fascinated me about the old Calabrian traditions is the mixing of pagan and religious rites, a cocktail made of the evil eye, rosaries, witchcraft and Lenten fasting. Among these ancestral customs we find the "CORAJISIMA", a cloth doll, in dark clothes, which was hung from balconies and windows to remind passers-by of the arrival of Lent and the resulting deprivations. The corajisima is usually depicted with a spindle and an orange with seven feathers, which represent the passage of time."
Artwork @talarico.illustrator
For the full description and the possibility to purchase the illustration:
N° 22 • FILI DI SETA – TRAME DI VITA (SILK THREADS – WEFTS OF LIFE)
Artwork CLAUDIA MONTALTO
"The art of weaving in Calabria has very ancient origins; it belongs to the history of every family like the loom, symbol of female patience and industriousness.
There wasn't a house that didn't have one. The loom had great importance not only because it perpetuated ancient traditions up to the present day, but also because it was a means of telling and "unraveling stories".
Already used by the Greeks, the loom served as an aggregation function; young women gathered around it to dream of the future and the elderly to narrate precious memories..(continue)"
For the full description and the possibility to purchase the illustration: