July 10th, 2009

Friday morning we got to sleep in a little bit and didn’t have to meet until 9 am, which was pretty fantastic. After eating breakfast, we met in a group outside to wait for a lady that was going to take us to tour Rubelli, a high end tapestry company in Italy. The tour was so great. The lady was really good in the aspect that she gave us enough information to give more meaning and substance to the things we were looking at, but she didn’t overload us so much that we were oblivious to the things we were looking at. She talked to us about the history and foundations of Rubelli, the company, the design, and a little bit of how the business runs now. She showed us a part of the historical archive that has older Rubelli fabrics that were used for royalty and prestigious people (some of the fabrics date farther back than the 1600’s). The entire historic collection contains over 5000 textile records that date between the end of the 15th century to the beginning of the 20th century. Besides just pieces of fabric there was also a corset made out of their fabric that had been used as an outside corset (worn on the outside of the dress rather than as an undergarment) for fancy dresses. She then let us loose to look through the different collections. Books showing different pieces in application were spread out, as well as actual pieces of the fabrics hanging in the showroom. The different collections are based on different parts of Italy, depending on where the inspirations for the pattern came from. Most of their pieces were a little bit too much on the traditional side for me, but I did really like some of their more modern pieces.
After Rubelli, we took a short lunch break for about an hour and grabbed some pizza by the slice, which was some of the best pizza I’ve had in Italy so far. It was just regular ham pizza, but it was really good…and, honestly, only the second time I’ve eaten meat here. Meat isn’t super common here. After lunch we met back at our hotel to meet another tour guide to take us to Fortuny. Fortuny is another textile company founded by Mariano Fortuny in the early 1900’s. The actual production method of how their textiles are made is kept a secret, so we were not allowed to go into the factory, but we did tour the showroom and gardens. What we were told about Fortuny is that they use all natural dyes, which leaves the result of lighter and darker colors throughout the pattern. Also, the methods and machines that Mariano Fortuny used 100 years ago to make his textiles are the same processes and machines that are still used today. The textiles are only made in the building that we went to on the island of Giudecca. Also, all of the patterns that are in use were originally designed by Mariano. The company is very concerned with its authenticity and traditions. Their patters are absolutely gorgeous. The style is more traditional, like Rubelli, but for some reason, I liked the Fortuny collections so much more. The way their colors are set and the faded, more rugged look draws me in. I loved it. The office workers were so sweet as well, bringing us Coke and chips. It was really nice of them to cater to our American refreshment interests. After the showroom, we also got to tour the grounds and the gardens. They were so beautiful. We walked through a long row of gardens and then it opens up into a large courtyard type area, with little benches and a massive swimming pool. The pool was filling up while we were there, and our guide told us that because of the size of the pool and the lack of water pressure, it will take 3 full days for the pool to fill up. I really liked the steps into the pool. Rather than normal rectangular steps, they were stacked circles alternating in size, almost like Lilly pads. It was just really interesting that they took the time to have something that is so much about function designed in such a unique way. Visiting these two showrooms made this one of my favorite days in Italy.