Mario Sartini in Piazza Angelio

For many people Piazza Angelio is quite simply the finest piazza in Barga Vecchia. With the historic palazzos, some dating back to the 1500s, facing on to the hand chiselled greystone piazza it has an elegant charm and gives first-time visitors to Barga that little shock of recognition when they realise they are standing somewhere special. But one thing it is not is a museum. It is a working piazza.

Right through the day the sounds in the piazza change as people move through it, children play and discussions take place. It houses a shoe shop, the John Bellany Gallery, the exclusive Marzocco antiques gallery, the very successful L’osteria with Riccardo at the helm, a wine store, the offices of Opera Barga, Barga Jazz and barganews, the barganews book exchange, the workshop of Hamish Moore and the tiny crowded workshop of the only artisan still reed caning and renovating chairs - Mario Sartini.

Generally he works with wooden chairs but today he started work on renovating a rather unusual set of chairs of handmade wrought iron. More images will be posted here to show the completed chairs later on this month. Mario can be contacted on 3497117046

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13 Responses to “Mario Sartini in Piazza Angelio”

Comments

1. banga May 08 2008 / 3pm

   Does he speak in English if I contact him?
2. Monacu May 08 2008 / 6pm

   Why not just call and try?
3. banga May 09 2008 / 1pm

   I did. he doesn’t.

   I’m begining to lose faith in Barganews and the people who add comments. I mean it seems to me like it is full of air.

   Take for instance the story after this about Petanque. It’s sort of written as through teams have travelled all over the world to arrive at the Barga International competition. Instead it’s a few old blokes (ex-pats) throwing some balls around!

   Not really much happens in Barga.
4. doggybag May 09 2008 / 5pm
   

   Dear Banga, many regular readers to barganews over the years have developed and fine tuned their antenna which enables them to spot when some articles are “a bit more fluffy and full of air” than normal. There is often a good deal of irony and subdued humour in many of the articles at certain times of the year .. for instance towards the end of March and the beginning of April when I am sure that most people would take with a pinch of salt articles written on barganews.

   barganews has often over the years used a “tongue in cheek” or as some American journalists have described it - “a quirky” way of reporting news in this area.

   The site strives to maintain a high standard of journalism and hopefully retains sharply in focus the desire to document and comment on what is a vibrant community undergoing change. It is not just a news organ but also an archive and let’s not forget, it is also there in part to entertain people.

   As you commented about the Petanque article - ” It’s sort of written as through teams have travelled all over the world to arrive at the Barga International competition. Instead it’s a few old blokes (ex-pats) throwing some balls around! ” - I would simply point you to the very first sentence in the article which reads “For the last six years, the game Pétanque has been played by a small group of enthusiasts here in Barga.” it actually say that it is played by a small group of enthusiasts here in Barga does not ?

   Also did you actually click on any of the links to the previous year’s competitions? Not just expats but various visitors to Barga who seem to enjoy a relaxing game of Petanque.

   As for the level of of intelligent comments on barganews I am afraid I have to hold up both hands and decline all responsibility as comments are not moderated. I think over the years I have only deleted two or three comments on the whole site as generally most people seem to have a good sense of individual responsibility.

   Mario’s tiny workshop is just opposite the barganews office so send me an e-mail telling me what it is you wanted from Mario and I will pass it on.

   P.S as far “not really much happens in Barga” - please do not repeat that to anybody else because if what you say reaches the ears of my wife I will be in dead trouble. During the summer season running around trying to document just some of the events in Barga takes up at least 16 hours a day - if she finds out that not really much happens in Barga then I will have some explaining to do as just what it is that keeps me busy from Easter to September
5. monacu May 10 2008 / 5pm

   Banga: “I’m begining to lose faith in Barganews and the people who add comments. I mean it seems to me like it is full of air.” A good case of the pot calling the kettle black.
6. Anonymous May 12 2008 / 10am

   actually so much does happen in Barga that a few years ago I had to move to Tiglio because my frail health couldn’t take the stress!

   after all, how many small hill towns of 3.000 souls or so around the world can boast an internationally renown annual Opera Festival, an equally renown Jazz Festival (a glance at the list of past guests and performers of both will give some idea of the breadth and depth of these particular events), a fully functioning theater, regular public concerts throughout the year - with a particularly high concentration of events during the summer months, regular popular and folk manifestations throughout the year, a succesful football team, various other successful sporting teams/organizations (volleyball/karate, etc…), a public swimming pool, a cinema, a betting shop … oh, and the usual assortment of restaurants, bars, pizzerias, etc ….

   I just had to get out!
7. Monacu May 12 2008 / 10am

   Maybe the phrase “not really much happens” has a different, unexpected meaning in Switzerland. My impression is that the main diversions there are observing the growth of unnumbered bank accounts, and worrying that you may be stopped by the police for driving a dirty automobile (that’s against the law in Happening Switzerland).
8. Anonymous May 12 2008 / 11am

   thanks for the tip: for matters pertaining to my job (which unfortunately in my case does not involve opening unnumbered bank accounts) I am a frequent visitor to Switzerland

   so far I have gotten away with driving an assortment of invariably lurid vehicles; but no sense in pushing my luck: next time I will be sure to stop at the nearest car wash this side of the border crossing and ensure that my automobile is as law abiding as possible!
9. poetry May 12 2008 / 12pm

   Hi Guys,

   Having lived in Switzerland for seven years, I can vouch for what Monacu has to say, but I might not be so kind. And I think, anon, Barga has a little over 10,000 souls maybe 10,001, unless you’re just talking about Barga Vecchia, but don’t forget us lost souls out here on the fringe.
10. Monacu May 12 2008 / 12pm

    Caro Anonymo,

    Your lurid macchine carry the tricolore license plates of Bella Italia. We auslanders (or in Geneve, etrangers) are regarded as genetically dubious in Schweiz/La Suisse, and are in practice exempted from the dirty car law so long as we keep our visits short. But please note that my thoughts on the diversions of numbered bank accounts referred only to observing their growth, not opening them.
11. Anonymous May 12 2008 / 2pm

    the ‘comune’ of Barga does indeed contain circa 10.000 souls (maybe indeed lost but certainly not forgotten); however the actual town of Barga (Vecchia/Nuova) counts about 3.000 (give or take - if not lost or found)

    regarding bank accounts: I can certainly appreciate the entertainment value of opening an unnumbered one of these in Switzerland (considering all that implies); but I’m rather doubtful as to whether simply observing their generic growth can provide sufficient stimuli even for the most uninspired of Swiss bystanders - much better a friendly game of Petanque, I wager!
12. Deety May 13 2008 / 9am

    Reading this post reminds me of a particularly pleasant twenty minutes I spent in piazza Angelio. I had just brought a glass of full-bodied red, the Osteria was very busy, so I pondered over to the lone chair outside Mario’s small workshop, and after admiring the craftsmanship and checking to see who was there, I slowly placed my buttocks on its caned upholstering. Ahh…. I had made contact with a freshly renovated art piece. The more I sat the more certain I was that this particular piece of art was best admired from a retrospective point of view.

    Since that experience I have tried admiring other artistic works. Small novels were difficult although their larger hardback editions were a little more comfortable, Barganews feared well on a laptop but I don’t recommend upright flat plasma screens. Some people regard the Swiss army knife as a piece of art maybe banga would like to write a review on that.
13. doggybag May 13 2008 / 5pm
    

    “All you need is love…” is probably one of the most profound and simple messages ever sung, preached or uttered in the history of the world. John Lennon’s message of peace and harmony is needed today more than ever and the designers of this “Swiss Peace Knife” could not agree more. Taking the cutting edge and negative association away from the words “army” and “knife” and replacing it with a message of love and care, designers Qian Jiang, Yiying Wu and Carolina Flores reinterpret this icon of multi-functionality into a handy pocket tool that houses a pill box, bandages, disinfectant spray and whistle. ” koo koo koo joob” guys, nice job!

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