Handicraft in Emilia Romagna is a still living reality that allows to pass on traditions and local skills. Montetiffi baking pansOne of the typical products of Romagna is “piadina”, the typical bread, soft and thin, with a unique taste. Piadinas are usually cooked on a particular baking pan, called “Montetiffi baking pan, that gives to Piadina the authentic natural taste. These rounded-shaped baking pans, with raised edges, beat the most modern cooking systems. The material used for their realization is mainly a mixture of red and gray clays. These kitchen tools have very old origins and today they are still produced in Montetiffi, a village near the town of Forlì, using the ancient techniques passed from father to son and the original clay of Romagna. They are still used by many people because they‘re considered the best way of cooking Piadina compared to the most modern pans. Printing of Romagna’s handmade canvasAmong the most famous and appreciated products of southern Romagna there are, without doubt, the rust printed canvas.They are still produced with original techniques and traditional tools, through the use of engraved moulds, soaked in colour and beaten with a mallet .In Santarcangelo di Romagna, there is one of the oldest printing workshops, “Stamperia Marchi”. Nowadays, a giant mangle dating back to 1633 is used here, unique exemplar in the world for size and weight.Other famous laboratories are: “Pascucci” and “Bertozzi” in Gambettola .These craft shops continue to preserve the age-old charm of this ancient art, using conventional methods, and ensuring a product obtained according to these methods, although hemp, hard to find in our area, has been replaced by linen, just as natural and durable.The moulds are preferably made of pear wood, suitable for hand incision with chisel.The origins of this manual art are lost in time and are related to poor handicraft, linked to the rural and peasant world. The most common drawings are floral motifs and animals.The most traditional coloured paste is obtained from rust, which takes the popular shades from orange to ochre. Other very popular colours (obtained from mineral pastes) are various shades of blue and green, and the “old red”.Printed fabrics are used to produce different household items: tablecloths, bedspreads, sheets, curtains and kitchen linens and towels …Every tablecloth, dish cloth, napkin is a real unique piece that no industrial production, even the finest one, can imitate!
