L'Italo-Americano

many of which were grouped together in the old market or in Via Lambertesca. The guild of oliandoli and pizzicagnoli was eventually suppressed, along with all o t h e r s , i n 1 7 7 0 w h e n t h e C h a m b e r o f C o m - merce was created, but the f i g u r e o f t h e o l i a n d o l o r e m a i n e d r e l e v a n t a n d began, in fact, spreading also outside of Tuscany: it is also thanks to their work, per- haps, that the quality of Ital- i a n o l i v e o i l i s q u i t e unmatched still today. The Pizzicagnoli Pizzicagnoli, as we said already, were in charge of selling and making special f o o d s , i n c l u d i n g c u r e d meats, salt, cheese, and salt- ed and dried fish. While they w o u l d s e l l a p l e t h o r a o f c o o k i n g i n g r e d i e n t s a n d h o u s e h o l d i t e m s , t h i n g s such as legumes were sold by other traders, associated w h i l e t h o s e c o m i n g f r o m further pressing, which were of significantly lower quality, were used to make soap and f o r l i g h t i n g ( l a m p o i l ) . Oliandoli were, in fact, real experts also of the oil-mak- ing and selling process as a whole, especially in the 12th century, when they oversaw every aspect of oil produc- tion and trade. In Florence, there is still a square called Piazza dell'Olio where, cen- t u r i e s a g o , a s p e c i a l i z e d market used to take place. When it came to the mak- ing and selling of olive oil, the guild had quite strict regulations: olives had to be hand-picked then placed in special chestnut baskets, and taken as soon as possible to the mill, where they were c r u s h e d w i t h l a r g e s t o n e mills. The stones, it is said, were quarried in Montici. Florence was also rich in specialized stores selling oil, with the corporation of Wine Merchants. While the figure of the oliandolo may no longer be as common as it used to be b a c k i n t h e M i d d l e A g e s , pizzicagnoli are still a thing all over Italy even though we don't all call them like that everywhere. Their stores are common, especially in small- er villages where they are known usually as salumeria, gastronomia or, quite sim- ply, alimentari; they are the equivalent of America's delis a n d c o r n e r s t o r e s p u t together. They are a bit old- f a s h i o n e d , p e r h a p s , a n d don't expect to find them in large cities, or at least, not in highly touristic areas. How- ever, if you want to find fine I t a l i a n c h e e s e s a n d c o l d cuts, or you would like to learn what local cuisine can offer and local products are, then you should definitely visit one. was eventually demolished, s o m e f r a g m e n t s o f i t a r e kept in the Bardini Museum a n d t h e M u s e u m o f S a n Marco. The guild also had its own patron saint, Saint Bartholomew, who was celebrated on the 24th of August. In December, on the occasion of the Immaculate C o n c e p t i o n , o i l f r o m t h e recently-pressed new olive harvest was offered to the Virgin Mary, in the church of Santa Maria degli Ughi. The Oliandoli I n t h e M i d d l e A g e s , oliandoli would sell local- ly-produced oil, in tradition- al jars that could contain around 33 liters of it. Back then, just like today, there were different types of olive oil, and oliandoli knew well all of them: for instance, the oil from the first pressing was intended for food use (although lard was preferred f o r c o o k i n g b a c k t h e n ) , THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano I f you've been to Tus- c a n y , y o u m a y b e familiar with pizzi- c a g n o l i and their s t o r e s , w h i c h a r e pretty much the equivalent of a good deli, but also dou- ble as a local corner store in small villages. Pizzicagnoli stores are common all over I t a l y , e s p e c i a l l y i n m o r e rural contexts, but they are not called like that every- w h e r e : " p i z z i c a g n o l i " a r e v e r y m u c h a T u s c a n a n d central Italian thing. Lesser known, perhaps, are their cousins, the oliandoli, who are associated with the pre- cious art of being olive oil connoisseurs. Why did I decide to speak about them in the same arti- c l e ? B e c a u s e t h e t w o n o t only share a significant con- nection to Italy's own cultur- al and culinary heritage but also the same history. To understand why, we need to go back to Medieval Flo- rence, more precisely to the 1 2 t h a n d 1 3 t h c e n t u r i e s , when the so-called "arts" began to form as lay associa- tions for the defense and pursuit of common goals, that brought together mem- bers of the same profession or trade. Historically, they are considered one of the most significant contributors to the economic develop- ment of Europe in Medieval times. They were divided i n t o A r t i Maggiori and Arti Mino- ri, major and minor arts, b a s e d o n t h e i r e c o n o m i c importance and prestige. M a j o r a r t s w e r e m a i n l y entrepreneurial activities, including what we would call today import-export busi- nesses, banking, and liberal arts such as medicine or law. Minor arts were essentially linked to manual activities a n d t r a d e s , i n c l u d i n g a l l those related to food. It is in this context that t h e C o r p o r a z i o n e d e g l i Oliandoli e Pizzicagnoli was founded in 1338, after the m e r g i n g t o g e t h e r o f t h e already existing guilds of t h e o l i a n d o l i ( o i l sellers), salaroli (sellers of cured meats, dried and salt- ed fish and salt), and cacia- r o l i ( c h e e s e s e l l e r s ) . T h e newly-formed corporation had its own residence built along Via Pellicceria, not far from the Piazzetta del Monte di Pietà. While the building CHIARA D'ALESSIO An olive oil expert or, as tradition teaches, an "oliandolo" (Photo: Konstantinos Papaioannou/Dreamstime) The ancient art of the oliandoli and pizzicagnoli, from the Middle Ages to modern day LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE

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