L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 20 L'Italo-Americano W hen we t h i n k of glass a nd crys- tal in Italy, thoughts immediately go to Venice, and rightly so. However, we shouldn't dis- count another important tra- dition, that of Tuscany. In fact, Florence was known for its glass and crystal produc- tion already during the Re- naissance, when glassmakers were particularly inspired and would create specific glasses for every occasion. The Medicis were so into the glassmaking art that hired Venetian specialists to train local craftsmen so that they could improve on their al- ready outstanding skills. This is why, in the 1500s, Floren- tine glass begins getting the hues and shapes typical of Venetian art. Florence, however, was s p e c i a l i z e d i n s o m e t h i n g Venice didn't have a patent o n , s c i e n t i f i c g l a s s ! Y e s , Think of vials, pitchers, and decanters: everything that was needed in a good lab, F l o r e n t i n e g l a s s m a k e r s would produce. In the end, w e a r e i n t h e r e g i o n o f Galileo Galilei who, by the way, was known to ask local glassmakers to create special thermometers and contain- ers for his laboratory, some of which you can still see t o d a y a t t h e M u s e o d e l l a Scienza. T u s c a n g l a s s r e m a i n e d very much utilitarian, if it's true that in the 19th century, the region – especially the area around Empoli – was known for its production of w i n e b o t t l e s , f l a s k s , a n d demijohns in a variety of sizes and shapes: and how c o u l d i t b e a n y d i f f e r e n t , when Tuscany is – and has historically always been – one of Italy's main wine- making regions? Indeed, Empoli and its surroundings were known for the production of "green glass" specifically made for Chianti wine, but they'd also produce "uso Montecatini" bottles, used for Montecatini thermal waters. These two types of bottles were recog- nizable because of the tradi- tional woven half cover they had: "uso Chianti" bottles would have a vertical weave, while "uso Montecatini" a horizontal one. It is in the early decades of the 1800s that the indus- try of crystal making devel- ops in Tuscany, inspired by t h e p o p u l a r i t y , i n t h o s e years, of Bohemian crystal products. The area of Colle Val d'Elsa, and in particu- l a r i t s F a b b r i c a d i C r i s t a l l i d i C o l l e V a l d'Elsa specialized in objects reminiscent of the Bohemian tradition. With the 20th cen- tury, the ties between Colle Val d'Elsa and crystal-mak- ing grew even stronger, with the birth of another famous business, Boschi, in 1921. It was one of its glassmaking masters, Ubaldo Pacini, who developed the formula for m o d e r n c r y s t a l g l a s s , i n 1963. Indeed, Colle Val d'Elsa has always been a glassmak- ing hub, since the 14th cen- tury, to be precise, when a family, the Pasci, rented s o m e r o o m s i n t h e l o c a l Augustinian monastery and opened a glassmaking ate- lier. Local documents also p i n p o i n t t h e b i r t h o f t h e industry in the region to the 14th century, thanks to spe- cific regulations in statutes a b o u t t a x e s o n g l a s s . Production was sent every- w h e r e i n t h e r e g i o n , b u t especially to Florence, the capital of the Granducato. You may wonder now, as I did, what is the actual differ- ence between crystal and glass. When I was a child, I was told you could tell the difference by clicking your nail against it: if it vibrated and made a sound, it was c r y s t a l , o t h e r w i s e , i t w a s plain glass. Crystal is made by adding lead to glass, in a p e r c e n t a g e u p t o 3 5 % . B o h e m i a n c r y s t a l g l a s s , which is mostly used to pro- duce art pieces, is different still, as there is also potassi- um in its composition. The E u r o p e a n U n i o n , b a c k i n 1969, decided that only glass with a minimum of 24% lead can be defined as "crystal." To make the perfect crystal glass, the quality and purity o f r a w m a t e r i a l s a r e k e y , including that of the lead oxide, which gives to crystal glass its shine. In recent years, however, t h e p r o d u c t i o n o f c r y s t a l glass has been under scruti- ny for ecological reasons, as the use of lead can be dam- aging to the environment. This affected greatly Colle Val d'Elsa and its industry: u p t o 2 0 0 8 , 1 5 % o f t h e world's crystal and 95% of Italian crystal was produced here. But ingenuity is the moth- e r o f a l l d i s c o v e r i e s , a n d well, also necessity some- times… Whichever way you want to look at it, the need and wish to produce crystal more ecologically and in a w a y t h a t d o e s n ' t h a r m n a t u r e b r o u g h t R C R , t h e largest crystal making com- pany in Colle Val d'Elsa, to stop producing crystal glass with lead and formulate a new, "clean" version of this beautiful material. In 2020, another important company, Collevilca, also introduced eco-crystal to its production line. Today so, Tuscan crystal is not only a material that speaks of tradition, art, and beauty, but it also represents the newest frontier in crystal production, a frontier that wants to bring together the importance of heritage and history with the necessity of protecting the environment and preserving it for future generations. And speaking of preserving: Tuscany is also known for another glass- related activity: restoration. Indeed, the region is famous f o r b e i n g a h u b f o r t h e restoration of antique glass pieces. Not at all surprising when you think of how much b e a u t i f u l a r t t h i s r e g i o n holds within! Colorful Tuscan crystals (Photo: Abrilla/Dreamstime) LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE Tuscany and its crystal and glass tradition GIULIA FRANCESCHINI

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