L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2018 www.italoamericano.org 4 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS T here is a s pecial sound that speaks of Italy, the s ame for thousands of years, a sound that becomes one with the country's land- scape, dotted with churches and belfries. Wherever you are, on the mountains or by the sea, the tolling of bells marks the pass- ing of time, and walks hand in hand with people's daily life. It's a heavenly ding-dong that frees vibrations in the air, a sound born from two minutes and half of fire and melting dur- ing which, when shaping the metal, everything is at stake, in a ritual whose origin is lost into the dawn of time. Located just a few hours' drive south-east of Rome, the ancient community of Agnone sits perched atop a rocky ledge, appearing almost suspended above lush forests and the San- gro river below. Once an strong- hold of the early Samnite tribes, Agnone's strength now lies in the fine Italian bronze that is skillfully crafted into magnifi- cent bells. The Samnite legacy reveals a long-standing history of bronze casting which indirect- ly led to the Marinellis' choice of Agnone as a home, all those years ago. Archeological evi- dence disclosed that Agnone w as an important center for smelting and casting of sacred Samnite statuary and wares, in part due to the abundance of ore in the mountainous region. Fur- ther proof surfaced when the famed Tabula Osca (circa 300 BC), an engraved bronze tablet of sacred dictates, was discov- ered just outside the village in 1848. The dis covery of this striking pre-Roman relic high- The Bells of Agnone: Marinelli's family handcrafting papal bells since 1339 lights the fine metal workman- ship that was taking place within Agnone some 2200 years ago. During the 1100s, an influx of Venetian craftsmen bolstered Agnone's long-standing artisan trade. With this migration came the Marinelli family, bronze casters already proficient in their trade in the Veneto region. The establishment of their bell mak- ing dynasty was cast, literally, in 1339 when the first bell bearing the Marinelli name was created and s igned by N icodemus Marinelli. Today's Marinelli bells are handmade from start to finish using the same tools, methods, and proces s es employed in Nicodemus' day. It's an arduous process carried out by a crew of 12 craftsmen, two of whom are the current owners of the family business – brothers Armando and Pasquale Marinelli. A mar- riage of carefully chosen natural materials and great devotion played out over a 3-month or longer period are necessary to create one bell. Using the ancient lost wax process, a Marinelli bell begins life as a hand-crafted arrange- ment of bricks and clay, bol- stered together to create the intended - but slightly smaller - shape of the bell. An overlay of wax is applied to the form that mimics the bell's dimensions and specifications. Carved wax designs and inscriptions, many created by A rmando's w ife Paola, are affixed, creating the 3-dimensional surface of the bell-to-be. A layer of clay is then carefully placed over this. Once the clay shell has hard- ened, heat is applied to melt the wax layer, leaving behind a neg- ative impression to be filled with molten metal. The now-ready mold is fitted inside a sturdy wooden frame, then lowered into an earthen pit near the 2,200-degree furnace where it is firmly encased by dirt. Multiple months have passed to get to this point, and now…a few minutes will determine success or fail- ure. "This is a dangerous moment," Ivo de S imone, a foundry guide, says. "To make the mold, it takes many months or a year; to make the bell, it takes two minutes." As said, the Pontifical Bell Foundry Marinelli, the oldest in Italy and one of the oldest fami- ly businesses in the world, today is in the hands of Armando and Pasquale Marinelli. Just outside his furnace Armando, with sim- plicity and passion, tells L'Italo Americano about a "fantastic craft," which allowed him and his family, holders of a cen- turies-old art, to gift these pre- cious "musical instruments" to Saint John Paul II, Pope Bene- dict XVI and Pope Francis. Y ou r fou n d ry, w h ich gained the title of Pontifical in 1925, is renowned all over the world. Meeting a Pope is an amaz- ing moment that truly gives value to our work. The emotion is the same, though, with the humblest of countryside priests, pastor to only a handful of souls, who sits with you for lunch and then prays the V irgin M ary when the fascinating, beautiful proces s of molding the bell comes, so that this new bronze creature is protected. You still use the cera persa Armando and Pasquale Marinelli with Pope Benedict XVI The Campana del Pozzo, on the Tower of Pisa Bellfounding today BARBARA MINAFRA PAULA REYNOLDS Continued to page 6

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