L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 4 FRANCESCA BEZZONE NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS V e n e z i a i s a jewel the entire w o r l d e n v i e s . And while there m a y b e o t h e r cities that live on water, there isn't a place on Earth quite like her. Venezia doesn't only strike for her beauty and her h i s t o r y , b u t a l s o f o r h o w strongly she remained con- nected with her past, a past that is lively, important, and central to the identity itself of the city. Some of the most recog- nizable icons of La Serenissi- ma come from her glorious past, like San Marco's lion or the masks of her Carnevale. But their presence and their importance in the city's mod- ern symbolism and, indeed, economy and attractiveness, are testament to the living connection the city has, per- haps more than others, with her heritage. Speaking about symbols of Venezia, how can we forget her elegant, timeless, dream- like gondolas? They are not solely a means of transport or a c u r i o u s a t t r a c t i o n f o r tourists, they are a piece of the city's identity because, around them, there is a world of people and history, of tra- dition and know-how, of her- i t a g e a n d c r a f t s m a n s h i p w h i c h i s u n i q u e t o t h e m . Among this army of artists of t i m e s g o n e , w e find remèri, craftsmen spe- cially trained to make and carve gondolas' oars and for- cole, the typical rowlocks used in Venetian rowing. We of L'Italo-Ameri- cano had the pleasure to vir- t u a l l y s i t d o w n w i t h the decano – the most experi- e n c e d – o f t o d a y ' s remèri, Saverio Pastor. Born in 1958, he trained – as h e w i l l t e l l u s d u r i n g o u r interview – with the great maestri remèri Giuseppe C a r l i , i l r e d e l l e f o r c o l e , a n d G i n o F o s s e t t a , i l m a g o d e i r e m i . T o d a y , h e r u n s t h e l a r g e s t o f t h e four remèri workshops in Venezia, Le Forcole, in San G r e g o r i o , n o t f a r f r o m t h e M a d o n n a d e l l a Salute church. Pastor is, at once, an artist and a teacher, but also a man aware of the importance of his craft, when i t c o m e s t o k e e p i n g t h e essence of Venezia alive. How did it all start for you, how did you become a remèr? When I was a boy and oars would break, I'd head to the w o r k s h o p o f t h e last remèr, Giuseppe Carli, to have them fixed. He always complained about not having any apprentices. So, on the 5th of June 1975 – I was just out of my junior year in high school– I went to him and asked if I coul d l ear n the craft, if I could work for him, e v e n f o r f r e e . B u t h e answered I was too old – I was 17, back then – and that it was too late to learn. Plus, I didn't even come from a fami- ly of remèri… But he did tell me I could, if I wanted, hang around at the workshop and take a look at how things worked. So, the day after I was there. And the day after that. For a whole month, I would spend eight or nine hours in Giuseppe's work- s h o p , j u s t l o o k i n g a t h i m working… He eventually got tired of having me around doing nothing so, one day, he gave me a broom and told me to sweep the floor. That's how I began my apprentice- ship. What are your memo- ries of those early days at the workshop? Walking into that work- shop was like walking into another time, like being in the Middle Ages. The wood smelled of times gone by, even the people there seemed to come from the past. Their language was that of the sea, it seemed centuries old. It w a s a c o n c e n t r a t e of venezianità and history of the city: all that kept me there, it got me hooked. I wanted to quit school so that I could catch up with the apprenticeship… but I kept on studying, I finished high school and worked at the same time. Learning, becom- ing a remèr, turned into a challenge with myself. I dedi- cated my whole life to it and I am still learning today. What's most impor- tant in your job? From a practical point of view, we need manual skills and profound knowledge of wood and its qualities. Of course, we only use specific types of woods and we only source them in Europe. We select wood that dried natu- rally, without the help of ovens or anything like that. Then, it's important to know where the forcola or the oar i s g o i n g a n d t o w h o m . Because personalizing our creations is important, too: you see, each forcola, and each oar must be carved in a specific way, based on the person who's going to use them. But there is also another factor: the responsibility we remèri have towards our city, towards Venezia. Our job is important because it's imbued with Venetian histo- ry and culture, so I do feel the responsibility of carrying it on the right way, as part of our heritage. From this point of view, I am helped by the p r i n c i p l e o f t h e a r t of remèri I learned all those years ago, in the workshop of my Maestro, Giuseppe Carli. You pointed out how y o u r a r t b e l o n g s , i n many a way, to a time far from modernity. Yet it is, j u s t l i k e m a n y o f o u r c o u n t r y ' s t r a d i t i o n a l c r a f t s a n d a r t i s t i c endeavors, essential to fully grasp the essence of o u r n a t i o n a l i d e n t i t y . H o w d i d t h e a r t o f r e m è r i m a n a g e t o remain timeless, even in practice? In the 1960s, motor boats became the new normal in Venice, and this could spell disaster for remèri. My Mae- stro, Giuseppe Carli, saved his workshop by transform- ing forcole into pieces of art: they were no longer only and Continued to page 6 Saverio Pastor and the timeless art of Venezia's remèri Maestro remèr Saverio Pastor at work in his workshop (Photo courtesy of Le Forcole. Credits: Adrian Smith)

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