Tenuta Villa Oleandro

Gargano Crafts

Thanks to its splendid isolation, manual dexterity and creativity are innate in the people of the Gargano.  A huge variety of objects are still produced according to ancient traditions.  The development of traditional local crafts is directly linked to the agricultural life and many objects were made to ease the burden of work on the land, at sea, in the stable as well as in the home.

STONE MASONRY   A craft that is still very much alive with many local stonemasons working marbles from Italy and all over the world.  Their creations include mullions and sills for doorways and windows, hand carved crested keystones, fire surrounds, garden sinks, troughs, tabletops and decorative plaques.

WOOD WORK   In the Gargano, land of woods and forests, there are numerous carpenters.  Beautiful pieces of furniture, including the typical settle, are created , as are doors, windows and shutters, tables and chairs, chests of drawers and wardrobes, kitchens and washbasins.  Turned and hand carved bowls, boxes, chopping boards, spoons, and forks too.  Crafted from many different wood types, olive wood is the major protagonist, the olive tree abounding in the Gargano as it does.

METAL WORK   Though in recent years numbers have dwindled, metalworkers and tinsmiths can still be found in the Gargano.   They will make all manner of things, including beds, gates, railings, door furniture, farming implements, guttering, downpipes, cooker hoods and ewers.

CERAMICS   Each village had its own style of making and decorating items such as pots, bowls, plates, jugs and jars, large and small, for cooking and storing water, oil, olives and all kinds of preserves.  Most ceramics were made for a specific function, decorative pieces were rarely made.   These days, small potteries still turn out traditional items but also their own design creations, mostly for torusits in search of souvenirs.

BASKETRY   A craft that is slowly dying out as few of the old craftsmen are willing to give away their secrets and even fewer of the young want to learn.  Nonetheless, some wonderful characteristic baskets are still to be found for sale at some of the many regular markets in the region.

NEEDLEWORK   Old wooden looms, though rare these days, turn out lengths of cloth, woven with hand-spun threads then fashioned into napkins, hand towels, pillowcases, tablecloths and even handbags.  Hand embroidered decoration is often applied, just as it used to be by grandmothers, mothers and young girls for their bottom drawers.  Crochet is very much alive as a craft with inspiration for designs coming from nature, the simple life on the land and at sea, and very often from religion.

Stay With Us

If you would like to "live the life" for a week or two, we have a beautiful, spacious and exceedingly well appointed apartment where guests can be comfortable and independent whilst enjoying our place in the sun.

Have a look at:   La Casa Lavanda

Read what our guests say about us:   Guest Reviews