More than chairs. Chiavari, your hands-on Ligurian history lesson

 

A walk in the centre of Chiavari is a hands-on history lesson told by alleys, porticoes, palaces and religious buildings. The sea is – literally – just around the corner (you can perceive its scent), though it seems far away. 

The seafront promenade and the port enrich the landscape towards the Tigullio Gulf; on the opposite side, the countryside and the hills frame and protect the town, offering a green scenery of olive trees, terraces and, further away, Apennine forests.

Chiavari boasts a millenary history that goes back to the Early Middle Ages (and beyond), the period of the first written testimonies related to the Clavari toponym and the establishment of the village (1178). The town flourished, and its urban structure was enriched and enlarged. Chiavari became the trading centre of the Entella valleys: cheese, linen and macramé cloths woven by the peasant women of the surroundings, slate, furniture and chairs - sought after abroad, too. 

Agro-food produce such as Chiavari roots, cheese or misto Chiavari hazelnuts (appreciated for their quality and sustainability) make Chiavari known as a production and trading hub.

The renown of Chiavari at the international level relates to a chair designed and created over two centuries ago by a great cabinetmaker, Giuseppe Gaetano Descalzi (Chiavari 1767- Chiavari 1855), known as Campanino. In 1807, he accepted the challenge launched by Marchese Stefano Rivarola – the imitation of a chair brought from Paris. Campanino's work, a masterpiece of grace, lightness and strength, exceeded the Marchese's expectations.

My English abstract of the article published in Liguria Food

Luisa Puppo 

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