Risultati di ricerca

" it is hard work that requires passion, but the labors are rewarded and it is the most beautiful job there is " The lands around us were born for farming, ranching, sacrifice and cooperation. This is what our culture and traditions are based on. And it is from collaboration that the Latteria Sociale Cooperativa di Marsure was born. Exactly a century ago, dairy cow owners founded the dairy to make unsold or unconsumed milk available to the village, processing it to be ready for use or made into cheese. But let's take a step back: do you know the origins of cheese? Apparently, in Ancient Greece, wicker baskets called formos (hence the name) were used to make the rennet take shape, which is a mixture of enzymes extracted from the stomachs of ruminants (but it also exists of vegetable origin) that coagulates milk - raw or pasteurized* - making it soft and elastic, which thus takes the name curd. To make cheese, however, the curd must be broken into very small pieces to purge the water it contains and thus separate the liquid (which can be used to make cream, for example) from the solid part that will be cooked to be more compact and dry. Once cooked, this paste is extracted from the liquid and placed in beams to be pressed so that it takes the typical cheese shape. All that is missing at this point is the ripening process, during which the cheese will mature in a ripening room until it is ready for consumption. The Latteria di Marsure was not only concerned with turning members' milk into cheese, but also with making milk and curd whey available to the people, which could be bought by exchanging them for pleche, a kind of currency that was used to buy these products in different quantities depending on the pleca provided. One hundred years after its founding, the Dairy has transformed itself to keep up with the fast-paced and changing times, making room for new generations who bring the necessary novelties while maintaining the traditional soul that sets it apart and makes it loved by all. The same land, the same will to do, the same quality as always in new and passionate hands pay homage to history by making it contemporary. ———————— *Note: specifically, the Latteria di Marsure uses only raw milk If you want to find out more about the history of the Latteria di Marsure, we recommend reading the book "Latteria di Marsure - Una lunga storia di tradizione e cooperazione" by Maurice Tassan Toffola and Sara Mellina-Gottardo, from which we learned some information to write this article To learn more about Latteria di Marsure's products: via Trieste, 74 - 33081 Marsure di Aviano (PN) 0434 656171 info@latteriamarsure.it Facebook: Latteria Sociale Marsure

The ancient Egyptians loved to pamper themselves with a cool and cheerful drink that originated some time ago in Mesopotamia from the fermentation of barley malt. It did not take long before it became the official drink of festivals and celebrations, and the tradition has been kept alive to the present day. Beer is a symbol of togetherness, of cheerfulness and friendship, of evenings spent in the company of friends and of lightness. All this, combined with a passion for the land and a desire for independence, insinuated in Dino and Marco the idea of opening their own brewery that reflected the values that most represent them. Dino and Marco brew between six and eight beers in a modern brewing facility that is visible to customers from a window in the Agropub, a beautiful store where you can sample (and buy) their beers along with products from local businesses, in a family environment decorated with old salvaged items. Would you like to take a peek? In this establishment, beer is brewed from barley malt, which they grow themselves, which is steeped and then water is added to it in a mash tank to extract the enzymes and sugars from the malt. This stage produces the wort, which is filtered and then brought to a boil in a special vat where hops or spices are added to give aroma. After a centrifuge run to separate the liquid from the solid residue of hops and spices, the beer undergoes a lowering of temperature until it reaches what is known as fermentation temperature. This is where yeast comes in, which breaks down the sugars into carbon dioxide (the typical bubbles you see in the glass) and alcohol. From there follows a phase of maturation and refermentation in the bottle, as we summarize in the diagram below: Speaking of alcohol, did you know that non-alcoholic beers are actually not really non-alcoholic*? That's right, because they have an alcohol content less than or equal to 1.2° (the value accepted in Italy to be defined as "non-alcoholic"), so not zero. Consequently, drink responsibly. If you already frequent the Birrificio Àgro, you know that Marco and Dino put their hearts into what they do, from growing the barley to brewing the beer, from caring for the environments to customer contact, and even making the most of the area and the local businesses they support, it's a giving each other a helping hand. They are careful about waste in production and the products they use to ensure top-quality beers that convey their love for the land around them, an example of collaboration between nature and man that thus gives even more valuable products. “ Two friends, a beer and a desire to change lives. Hence the idea to create something that combines passion, love of nature and creativity: a farm brewery. “ ————— *Note: most, so always inquire first To find out about the products and philosophy of Birrificio Àgro: Via della Centrale, 2 - 33081 Giais di Aviano (PN) www.birrificioagro.it (+39) 339 13 98 900 (Marco) (+39) 334 80 73 412 (Dino) info@birrificioagro.it Facebook: Birrificio àgro Instagram: @birrificio_agro

“ I like to pass on what I know how to do, and I would like to learn a lot more because what I know is a crumb of what I would like to know. Because knowing is good, and I am curious “ Who among us has never tried to make something with his or her own hands? Someone as a child, perhaps helped by grandparents, and someone else as an adult, guided only by his or her imagination. But all of us, sooner or later, feel the need to create something of our own, as we used to do, with our hands and imagination. Annarosa has been doing this all her life, and she absolutely loves it. It doesn't matter if she does it for work or in her spare time, what matters to her is creating. And it doesn't even matter what, as long as it is done manually and gives her a chance to learn something new. Among the many works she does, some of the best known are surely the sciapins, the typical Friulian velvet shoes also known in the rest of the region as scarpèts. These shoes originating in Carnia have been used since well before the 19th century and were made entirely by hand from reclaimed materials such as old clothes and more recently from bicycle tires to make the sole. Annarosa creates all kinds: for young and old, colorful and personalized. In particular, she had the opportunity to make a special pair to match the historic Aviano Danzerini dress dating back to 1825 and reproduced entirely on a loom. Her sciapins hold true to old-fashioned tradition, with reclaimed materials such as old sheets stacked in several layers to create the sole, which is then finished by twine (fil de straponte) and wool bias for the upper edge of the upper, which is embroidered with floral patterns using embroidery thread. In addition to sciapins, Annarosa loves to make patchwork blankets, a technique that involves assembling different pieces of fabric to create a larger and more useful one, such as the famous blankets of Amish communities. But she not only creates them, she also teaches how to make them! Another technique that allows her to let her imagination run wild is machine applique: this technique allows any simple design to be transferred onto the fabric through thermoadhesive paper, thus creating the shape to be applied to other fabric (such as curtains or bibs) by sewing it by machine: The beauty of this type of craft is that it is diversifiable, you can create anything and you can customize it in turn. You never stop learning and each creation is an inspiration for more. An interweaving of imagination and fun that takes the form of the satisfaction of having made something with your own hands. When you try, a world opens up. Annarosa's word. If you want to learn more about the history of sciapins ( or scarpets), you can find it here: Traditional Friulian culture If, on the other hand, you are curious to see Annarosa at work, click here Not to miss Annarosa's creations: Facebook: Annarosa Moro

Once upon a time there were two brothers named Gioacchino and Luciano Del Ben who, around the late 1980s, began aging cheese in the attic of their parents Modesto and Teresa. After about two decades of hard work and continuous improvements, the desire arose in them to get involved in everything and open their own dairy where they would produce the cheeses they aged themselves. They thus approached the historic Latteria di Aviano, founded early last century, which Gioacchino admired for its role in the area, filled with history and experience. It was the historicity of this dairy that convinced the brothers to buy it and give it a new imprint. It was only a matter of time before Linda, Veronica, Luca, and Alessio joined with their parents to transform the Latteria di Aviano into a family-run business that would not only produce and sell cheese, but also make it a protagonist and untether it from the stereotype of cheese as we are used to seeing it " we take cheese out of the context of the store " Think back to when our grandparents had a glass of wine: they would take some from the demijohn in the cellar and not worry about the vintage, the provenance or whether it was a good Cabernet Sauvignon rather than a Merlot, it was just a bicèr de nero [“glass of red”]. The cheese today is comparable to that bicèr de nero of the grandparents, a diamond still in the rough. In fact, Linda has become a Master Cheese Taster and often holds classes and tastings to raise awareness of cheese culture by presenting it in special settings, such as jewelry stores for example, to enhance it with pairings designed for every situation - even weddings! Beautiful, isn't it? The idea of offering cheese in contexts other than the original to prove that it lends itself to any occasion is named smart cheese - as Veronica explains in her dissertation, and has become the goal of Latteria di Aviano. The Del Ben family also puts a lot of passion into communicating the characteristics of their products, as in the case of their naturally lactose-free cheeses. Do you know what it means? During aging, the lactic bacteria in the cheese naturally break down lactose (the milk sugar) into glucose and galactose, so that even people who are lactose intolerant - that is, lacking the lactase enzyme to break down, that is, digest, lactose - can eat many types of cheese, including fresh, such as 30-day-old Latteria without then exhibiting symptoms resulting from intolerance. But not only foresight and communication: the Latteria di Aviano family is always looking for new contaminations with other companies and the territory to come up with special cheeses such as Modesto Sotto Paglia, dedicated to grandfather Modesto and aged in straw in an environment reminiscent of the tuff aging pits of Central Italy, or Italiko, born from a collaboration with the Moderno Opificio del Sigaro Italiano of Orsago (TV), which supplies the tobacco leaves to wrap the cheese in the refinement - that is, the flavoring of the cheese during aging. Two brothers and their sons, with their passion and determination, have given birth to a young environment, full of energy and love for that historic craft that has a whole new flavor, that tastes of culture. To learn about all of Latteria di Aviano's products and events: via Vittorio Veneto, 45 - 33081 Aviano (PN) 0434-651330 info@latteriadiaviano.it www.latteriadiaviano.it, www.delbenformaggi.it Facebook: @latteriadaviano Instagram: @latteriadiaviano

" my great satisfaction is seeing the things we did in people's memories, the fact that I was still inside their lives, in the important moments I was there " Ice cream is said to have originated around 1565 at the court of Catherine de' Medici in Florence, when the architect Mastro Bernardo delle girandole created the first, true ancestor of gelato: a sorbet made from snow, salt (to lower the temperature), lemon, sugar, egg white and milk. Today's ice cream maintains a similar preparation as back then, as Mauro, the owner of the 86 Il Gelato ice cream parlors, explains: sugar, milk, pasteurized yolk and a lot of imagination. Imagination? Of course! To create different flavors starting from the same base, for example, just add hazelnut paste, coconut rapè, cocoa, mascarpone... there are endless possibilities. Mauro is always looking for a new flavor, in addition to the classics that are never lacking at the counter, and he takes inspiration from his everyday life. An exotic fruit, a foreign food, a special occasion can turn into a unique ice cream that makes the customer's shopping experience truly original. Mauro has been doing this job since he was nineteen years old, and he has always put his business and the experience he wanted the customer to experience first. Not only a quality ice cream, studied and prepared with the utmost attention to intolerances and hygiene, but also offering baked goods such as ice cream cakes sponge cakes and parfaits, panettone and colomba - and more! - which are all made entirely in his laboratory, to give the customer a product made 100 percent by 86 Il Gelato. There is also no shortage of passion for welcoming customers by pampering them in a family environment, and a focus on eco-sustainability. Meticulous recycling collection and the use of recycled and recyclable materials alone are not enough, however. In fact, think of the potential life cycle of an ice cream scoop: Once taken it lasts five minutes - just enough time to enjoy a good scoop of ice cream - and then it is thrown away. If it were washed, however, it could be reused many, many more times. Imagine the mountain of less plastic we would produce if we washed ice cream scoops. Have you ever tried making ice cream at home? If the answer is no, we suggest you try it! To make things easier, you should use the ice cream machine, the inner container of which can be kept in the freezer so that it is always ready to use. Just put in the chosen ingredients and she will take care of mixing and whipping the contents, that is, making it become real ice cream by incorporating the right amount of air to make it creamy and firm. Being an ice cream maker requires as a sacrifice the daily freedom to have in return the freedom to be yourself even at work, every day, and to give happy moments to those you meet by chance and those who choose to return, always, because ice cream is happiness. To delight the eyes and palate, find 86 Il Gelato here: via Pitteri, 2 - 33081 Aviano (PN) 0434 652806 il_gelato@yahoo.it Facebook: 86 Il Gelato Instagram: @86_ilgelato_aviano

“ my thoughts that are like butterflies: the butterfly is a moment, it lasts only a day, however it flies and gives you so many feelings “ It is not always easy to express ourselves and be accepted for who we are, but our originality lies precisely in finding our own way to communicate with the world. Gabriella knows this well, and she has always approached life with a lot of drive and an incredible hunger to learn, to study, to observe. To improve. Indeed, it is not everyone who can write, can paint, can sing, or can cook, but perhaps "knowing how to do" is not what really matters when we see it as an end point. Vincent Van Gogh said, "I always do what I don't know how to do in order to learn how it should be done", and this is where Gabriella, who has been studying painting in the studio for more than a decade now, sees herself. Once a week she goes to the workshop of her art master who teaches her the theory and technique of painting, how to channel her creative flair so that it takes shape through strokes and colors. While immersing herself in a world without space or time, she imprints on the canvas the signs of her study: the structure of the figure, three-dimensionality, perspective, movement. She often starts with a charcoal drawing that she then destroys with oil color to study its different effects. Are you familiar with the grisaille technique? This is a technique that allows you to create volume using only two colors: white and black (but not black in the strict sense, because it is created by proportionally mixing dark ultramarine blue and burnt earth shadow, which result in different shades of gray). Start with the dark, which should remain in the lower part of the area to be volumized, and go over it several times with the white to blend it out. After about ten or twelve coats you move on to the glazing colors, such as cyan very diluted in oil in the case of the painting below to create the veil of the Madonnina Creative flair, however, manifests itself at different times and in different ways, because life itself touches us in different ways, like when you open the window in the morning and suddenly a thought arises in your mind, a fleeting moment that you need to immortalize because of the emotions it has conveyed. Gabriella uses these thoughts, like her paintings, to express herself and communicate with the world, even when the world could not understand who she was. Thoughts written on the spur of the moment, as delicate and simple as the wings of a butterfly that rests on the reader's shoulder and carries away its heaviness by hovering again. Gabriella's essence is art, it is a desire to learn, to leave something of herself, a sign of her emotions. " I am in search of some thing that will come through study, experimentation and the passion of writing and drawing, because our ideas eventually translate into signs. Our ideas become signs. The signs remain and are visible to anyone. " To keep following Gabriella's path: Instagram: @gabriellabassovalent

Have you ever heard of heliculture? If this word does not sound familiar, let us tell you about ElicItaly. It was 2015 when Andrea Toffolon, an agricultural surveyor, decided to try his hand at raising snails for gastronomy and creating snail slime products here in Aviano. Specifically, the farm run by Andrea with the help of his mother and dog Kyle is an organic type of farming that aims to safeguard the local vegetation with minimal environmental impact and the utmost respect for the well-being of the snails, which grow in nineteen large enclosures and an open field feeding on the leaves of a special cabbage, without any chemical treatment harmful to the animal or the environment. The entire breeding focuses on the Helix Aspersa Muller species, internationally renowned for the quality of its meat (delicious!), but especially for the properties of its slime: the snails are sent to the laboratory to drool tickled by ozone a maximum of three times a year, so as not to overstress them and preserve their health. There are many products that can be made from snail slime, such as syrups, shampoos, and creams with soothing and healing properties, as well as the very pure snail slime that can be used on its own on the skin or to make soap, as Andrea showed us when we visited him at the farm: Do you know how many snails it takes to produce one liter of slime? About 800! This is why Andrea periodically introduces new specimens into the enclosures, where there is no distinction between the breeding area and the snail feeding area so that the breeding environment is as natural as possible for the animals it houses. Have you ever noticed the little horn that sprouts on snails when they breed? You should know that snails are hermaphroditic mollusks, that is, there is no distinction between male and female, so they can both be fertilized through a small horn that sprouts at the side of the head and through which the two specimens exchange gametes. Each fertilized snail lays between 50 and 100 eggs, once a year, which give birth to small, perfectly formed snails. ElicItaly's attention and care for its snails also goes through the choice of the territory where the farm is born: in fact, snails need the humidity that our climate is rich in and a skeletal soil, that is, rich in stones from which the snails, by gnawing on the surface, are able to take calcium to harden their shells and protect themselves from the external environment. Natural food, climate and soil are therefore key factors in growing healthy snails and obtaining the highest quality slime, but that is not enough. In fact, great care must be taken that the enclosures receive the right amount of shade (thanks to the presence of benches under which the snails can shelter from the sun) and water even during the hottest months through sprinkler irrigation, which is so gentle that it feels like real natural rain to keep the soil moist so that the snails do not get burned by the summer sun. What about in winter? In winter the adult snails hibernate by sealing their shells with slime, which is a natural defense against the cold and predators, while the smaller, weaker ones are taken out of the enclosures to be placed in a nursery that protects them until they are strong enough to be reintroduced into the enclosures. Andrea has managed to create a breeding that is proof that commitment and hard work pay off, in perfect harmony with the environment in which it is placed. He has shown that a breeding that is not obvious and unusual like this is within the reach of anyone who has the passion and tenacity to get involved. He has shown that striving to follow one's own ideas gives great satisfaction. To find out more about ElicItaly and its philosophy: Via Marchet SNC - 33081 Aviano (PN) www.elicitaly.it +39 329 2328 305 info@elicitaly.com Facebook: Elicitaly Instagram: @elicitaly

“ il corpo è il primo strumento che abbiamo; la pelle è il filo conduttore “ There are many ways to approach the world, but we do not realize that the first, very first tool of contact with the outside world is our own body. A shell that separates what makes us up from the outside world, but puts them in continuous dialogue through a simple membrane: the skin. It is from this realization that begins the artistic journey of Francesca Piovesan, a young artist born and raised in Aviano who is made up of many things, many facets, but who finds her balance by creating introspective works that offer the possibility of dialogue with the viewer. Watch and see: This particular series of works is the result of a collaboration with the Venice Academy of Fine Arts and artisans from Murano (VE) and consists of the imprint of different parts of Francesca's body imprinted on traditional Murano glass that is treated with silver nitrate¹ to develop the image, as is done with classic photographs, following the historic Venetian mirroring technique. What is special about these developments is that Francesca never freezes them: "The body continues to work, I do not freeze the photographic process, even if it is considered a mistake, precisely because the intent is that it continues to work, that we see precisely the matricity of the material, we are like that we are constantly evolving". Francesca does not aim to stop time, but to recount its passing as a witness to the finiteness of human experience. On the same wavelength, she created the work ironically titled "Forever", which depicts the dissolution of a tattoo over about a year, debunking the myth of eternity Her art is to show, to show but discreetly the fragilities that make our skin unique. This is the origin of Francesca's feminine exhibition at the Fuori Salone of the Salone del Mobile in Milan: five simple black paintings that upon contact with the warmth of the viewer's hand gently show scars and skin marks that make us more vulnerable in the eyes of others These signs are the result of the body's ability to reorganize itself in the face of an unforeseen event, as Francesca demonstrates with the project "Nuove Formazioni" [New Formations], which represents a confrontation between her body - intact - and that of her mother marked by the struggle against an illness and the drugs to defeat it: "In my work first the procedural part counts, and later comes the aesthetic balance." A personal and delicate world, the balancing act of doing the right thing in the right place, reflected by a body that moves away from its classical representation to create new abstract artistic forms, this is Francesca. ¹ Note: Silver nitrate is an element that recurs in works made by Francesca even before the series "Gli Specchianti" To follow Francesca's path between art, time and experimentation: www.francescapiovesan.com Facebook: Francesca Piovesan Instagram: @piovefrancesca

" what I try to achieve from my portraits is to be able to convey the soul within the reality " How does one go from restoring antiquities to portraiture of animals and people? What do these two activities have in common? Apparently, nothing. Erica Del Vecchio worked for years in the restoration of ancient works such as the Riace Bronzes and in the recovery of human tombs at various archaeological sites. However, when she no longer felt the restoration field suited her, she slowly shifted to antiques and wall decoration… how? By following the allure of deceiving the eye. The antiquarian field, like that of restoration, is based on being able to renovate something by constructing missing parts that 100% imitate reality. Exactly as with wall decoration: the trompe-l'œil technique is based on enlarging rooms or modifying rooms by introducing pictorial elements that were not present before. Portraiture, achieved through a time of labor crisis, also follows the same philosophy: to deceive the viewer's eye through hyperrealism, a technique that involves the close-to-photographic reproduction of people or objects on canvas or sculpture. We show you To create these incredible portraits, exclusively on commission, Erica uses mainly pencil, paper and lots and lots of empathy honed through years of experience. Oh yes, because it takes a great deal of sensitivity to read the character of a person or animal from photos and then convey it in a portrait that not only physically resembles the original, but also speaks about it. "a portrait, as much as it is an imitation, is different depending on who is doing it" One of the greatest difficulties in creating a portrait is interpreting the expressiveness of the person, because one shadow changes your character, the smallest detail can completely change the final result of the work. Not to mention time! For portraits, time is never enough: they need settling time, which, however, you often cannot have, to combat momentary dissatisfaction and look at the painting with different eyes, as any true artist does. An artist is never satisfied with his work, this drives him to always continue to study and experiment, and he is a master at hiding it from others: it all revolves around deceiving the eye. Note: The black and white portraits are part of the private collection displayed at the Ristorante Alla Campana in Cordenons (PN) Lest you miss Erica's other wonderful work: www.ericadelvecchio.it Facebook: Erica Delvecchio Instagram: @ericadelvecchioedartist

“ the tattoo is the only thing that stays with the "canvas" throughout its life, makes its emotions, good or bad, live on until the end of its days. It's alive, it is a creation that comes to life “ Germana has tattooing in her blood, Domitilla, on the other hand, discovered it through her. Both started by accident, and both continued by choice. You may already be familiar with Pink Panther Tattoo, but we want to take you behind the scenes and instead introduce you to its pillars: Germana and Domitilla, aka Domino. Imagine an 18-year-old girl who finds herself a bit lost in the Canary Islands and suddenly stumbles upon a tattoo artist course that she immediately realizes will change her life. Then imagine the same girl a few years later, now an established tattoo artist, looking for staff for her store, meeting the one she will make her right-hand woman. Two very different styles - realistic for Germana, fine lines and watercolor subjects for Domino - that complement each other, offering the client ample freedom in choice. And it is the client, their most human aspect, that is the center of Pink Panther Tattoo: during the execution of the tattoo they come to a deep and sincere understanding that then prompts the client to return because they have created an important bond with one of them; the pain the client feels, both physically and emotionally, is respected as if they themselves were experiencing it. Do you know how to make a tattoo? First, you have to keep in mind that the tattoo has to please the client, and not others, because it often speaks of important and personal moments in the client's life. You start by listening carefully to the client, figure out what style he/she wants to do, study images of things that have struck him/her, that he/she likes, even if it is not the subject he/she wants. It is essential to understand the style, the subject, and where they want the tattoo. A sketch is then developed with some details, but not final - Germana and Domino prefer to finish it on the skin, "the final work will be the actual tattoo". The next step is to create the stencil, where the main lines are marked to execute the tattoo Once the area of skin affecting the tattoo has been disinfected and shaved, the stencil is printed on the skin. After a couple of other steps such as preparing the material and signing the privacy, you finally move on to the execution of the tattoo, which will then be covered with paper so that the skin does not ooze. At the time of removing the paper, you wet it so that it does not stick to the tattoo,rinse the tattoo with mild soap and then leave it to air. A procedure that is as simple as it is delicate, requiring a great deal of experience, responsibility and impeccable attention to hygiene. No less a well-trained hand is required to turn an idea into an indelible tattoo on the skin "the tattoo artist must always give 100% every time, he owes it to the client because he gives him skin" Although this has always been considered a male profession, the girls have managed to make their way and retain clients from abroad as well, convincing even the most reluctant of women's talents and helping to increase the chances of future female colleagues being able to approach the profession with more confidence. Pink Panther Tattoo is celebrating 18 years of opening this year, a milestone that makes Germana and Domino doubly proud for the hardships they have brilliantly overcome and the recognition they receive daily from their satisfied customers "with tattooing every day is different, you get to know different people with their emotions with their story and that just fills you up, in fact I never thought I could have a job for so long until I started tattooing, now it's so many years and I'm still as passionate as the first day, in fact more so" -Germana Learn more about the Pink Panther Tattoo: Piazza Duomo, 5 - 33081 Aviano (PN) 329 639 4870 www.pinkpanthertattoo.com pinkpanthertattoo@yahoo.it Facebook: Pinkpanther Tattoo Instagram: @pinkpanthertattoo_aviano; @dominotattoo

“ we started with our grandmother's sewing machine, we wanted to do something for our town “ We are always told that if we believe in something, we should not give up in spite of everything. Two people who defied the difficulties and opinions of others to achieve what they believed in from a young age are Nicole and Michelle, two very young sisters with a passion for tailoring who wanted to express their originality. But not only that, they wanted to do it here in Aviano. And they succeeded. They started at a young age, when almost out of spite they began to sew by themselves the clothes for the dolls they could not have. Guided by the expert hands of their grandmothers, they slowly tried their hand at more and more complex crafts until they realized that that would be their path: tailoring. Not just any tailoring though. In fact, their atelier on Via Gaspardo Narvesa features colorful mermaid tails, original martial arts uniforms, and beautiful cosplay costumes to make the eyes of every child (and adult) who comes to their storefront glisten with excitement. Don't believe it? Take a look for yourself: Cosplay has always been a key part of their lives, because it gives them the opportunity to express their creativity to the fullest and experiment with new sewing techniques to be as true to the cartoon outfit as possible (try defying gravity to make a cape stay up straight all the time!). “Cosplay has taught us how to accomplish something that wouldn't normally be achievable, and it's that extra gear that we wouldn't have had otherwise”. And it was the world of cosplay that allowed the girls to open up and gain more confidence through performing in front of a barrage of strangers who quickly became friendly faces bound by the same passion. "It was a stepping stone", as Michelle tells us. Another great passion the sisters share is mermaid swimming: in fact, they are both Mermaiding. An original novelty they have made even more special with the custom tails they design and print themselves: At the atelier, however, they also do ordinary repairs and custom projects, always with an eye for waste and the utmost attention to detail. Do you know how to make a clothing? First, one documents: whether it is research on a place or an inspirational fact, or analysis of representative images of a client, one gathers information and images that are then arranged in a moodboard that will give inspiration for the first sketches. Once the sketches have been studied and arranged properly, the clothing plates are made - a kind of development of the clothing, as if the dress were open and laid out on the table - which constitute a kind of instruction booklet of the dress: the person who will have to sew it can see where certain cuts and seams are in order to make it, even in case he/she did not design it. Thanks to the plates, paper patterns are made, which are paper templates of fabric scraps to be followed to cut the fabric the right way, so that they can then be assembled to form the finished clothing. If you too have suddenly felt like picking up a needle and thread (or perhaps a sewing machine) and trying to make something but don't know where to start, keep in mind that inspiration is always just around the corner (so arm yourself with pencil and paper) and never be afraid to ask for advice from those who are more experienced, even if it's just in choosing the most suitable fabric. One thing that stuck with us from our conversation with the girls was a phrase they repeated very often, "if you like something, just do it", whether it's a job, an activity or your clothing, if it makes you feel good, don't hesitate a second longer. Nicole and Michelle were able with the help of their family to make their dream come true, and they hope this will inspire others to not give up and maybe even discover that Aviano has several possibilities in store for young people as well “we wanted to bring something in our own small way to the community.” SOME USEFUL LINKS: We leave you with links to some interesting courses to learn how to use a sewing machine and to learn the basics of sewing: courses: cucireamacchina.com e cucitomani.it basic notions: manifantasia.it Learn more about Michelle and Nicole's creations: Via Gasparo Narvesa, 5 - 33081 Aviano (PN) 389 559 6175 www.atelierseridian.it atelierseridian@gmail.com Instagram: @atelier_seridian; @seridian_mermaid; @atelierseridian_budo Facebook: Atelier Seridian Etsy: AtelierSeridian

“ Each bee carries within it the mechanism of the universe: each one summarizes the secret of the world. “ (Michel Onfray) According to Einstein, if bees died humans would only have four years of life left on Earth. How is this possible? Well, it's actually simple: bees are responsible for about 70 percent of the pollination of all living plant species on the planet, and consequently 35 percent of global food production. Pietro Ventura is one of the beekeepers who care for bees and strive to respect their natural life cycle. Do you know what happens during the life of a bee? In the hive, the queen bee lays thousands of eggs, day and night, which are incubated for 21 days. At the end of the 21 days, the worker bee takes on different roles both inside the hive (or apiary) and outside, depending on the development of different organs: At first, she becomes a scavenger bee, responsible for cleaning cells intended for brood or honey, processing propolis, and removing dead bees and other insects from the nest. The bee then becomes a nurse when it begins to produce royal jelly and feeds the larvae of the brood (here we make the first distinction between the bees that will become workers and the bee that is destined to be the future queen bee: the latter will continue to be fed royal jelly, while the others will be weaned on other foods). From the sixteenth day of life, precisely when it begins to secrete wax from the wax glands located under the abdomen, the bee becomes a waxer: its task is then to "whitewash”, that is, to build new parts of the hive with the wax (white in color, hence the name) that they produce to follow the growth of the family in the warm season that provides plenty of nourishment The beekeeper, noting the downward white constructions, must provide more space for the bees by adding frames inside the hive Finally, the bee can get out of the hive and become an explorer: letting themselves be guided by the smell and color of the flowers thanks to their antennae (which are tactile and sensory organs at the same time!) they fly up to 3km away from the hive to discover new foraging areas, i.e., areas of constant blooms that allow them to obtain nectar in relevant quantity and frequency. Once back at the hive, the explorer bees communicate through an aerial dance the exact location of their discovery to the forager bees, which will collect nectar or other nourishment in the foraging area. All these roles can also be taken on at different times in their lives, and not necessarily in that order, depending on the needs of the queen bee and the other bees. Fascinating their dance, isn't it? Through it, in fact, the explorers not only communicate the location of the discovered area, but also the quality and especially the energy cost for foragers in terms of favorable or unfavorable wind to fly: their wings in fact wear out very quickly due to friction with the wind, and this determines their short life span in the warm months (i.e., the period when they fly the most). The beekeeper, to facilitate this life cycle, works to care for and move the hives from the time the bees awaken in spring until they return to hibernation. It is precisely during the months of bee operation that honey is produced, do you know how? Pietro explained to us that honey can be harvested just as bees have produced it along with the honeycomb inside (which is edible!) or it can be obtained from the honey extraction of sealed and carefully chosen combs-so that an abundant number remain to ensure that the bees are fed during the winter months. First remove the bees and move the selected combs to a dedicated space where bees and other insects cannot enter. Using a heated knife, wax is removed from the frames, taking great care. At this point the frames are placed back into the honey extractor, a machine that uses centrifugal force to extract pure honey to be rested to remove any air bubbles and then potted. The jars are then sent to laboratories to have them analyzed and figure out their composition: for example, if a jar contains at least 51 percent acacia flowers, then that honey will be acacia flower honey. Speaking of flowers, we too can do our part to help bees: plants and fruit trees, flowers, and more go a long way in providing bees with different kinds of nectar With different types of nectar, different kinds of honey can be made. For example, Pietro makes dandelion, acacia, chestnut, wildflower, linden, high mountain wildflower, honeydew, rhododendron and raspberry honey, depending on where he places his hives. In addition to honey, he also makes beeswax for candles, propolis, pollen and royal jelly from his hives. It is important to know and respect bees in order to understand that they are crucial to our lives and the Earth's environment, that one tiny little creature with wings determines the fate of an entire planet and all its inhabitants. Some interesting links to learn more: The role of worker bees - Terra Nuova www.agraria.org/apicoltura To find out more about Pietro and Apicoltura Avianese: Via Alcide de Gasperi, 22 - 33081 Aviano PN 0434 651834 apicoltura.altervista.org