Alchimie sannite
Centuries of toreutical (metalwaorking) art preserved in an enchanting corner of Molise. Visit Agnone, formerly called Athens of Samnium, it means discovering the cradle of processing craftsmanship of metals, from copper to sacred bronzes.
A melting pot of alchemical culture and artisan tradition that resonates in the bells of the ancient Pontifical Foundry, in the Gerbasi Copper Historical Museum and in the wooden ceilings of the former Convent of San Francesco.
- IN EXCLUSIVE
- WHAT'S INCLUDED*
- Visit to the cloister, the library and the alchemical cycle of the wooden ceilings of the former Convent of St. Francis, in the company of the literature and philology expert Fabrizio Meo
- Guided tour of the Copper Historical Museum and workshops with a Gerbasi family member
- Visit to the ancient Pontifical Marinelli Foundry guided by a master bell ringer
- Access to the foundry's artistic decoration workshops
- Opening of the bell at the end of the production process
- Visit to the former Convent of San Francesco in the company of the literature and philology expert Fabrizio Meo
- Guided tour of the Historical Museum of Copper and laboratories
- Visit to the Pontifical Marinelli Bell Foundry: the John Paul II International Bell Museum and the artistic workshops
- A lunch and dinner in two local restaurants, with specialties of the cuisine of Alto Molise
- Transfer to the different places of the Parenthesis
- Overnight stay with breakfast in an ancient fifteenth-century structure in the historic center of Agnone
*The Parentesi does not include anything not expressly indicated
17/10
Duration: from 15:00 on 04/04 to 15:00 on 05/04
Agnone (IS), Molise
Limited availability
THE PARENTESI
Franciscan alchemy
In the former Convent of San Francesco, now home to the Municipal Library and the Labanca Library, in the company of the expert in literature and philology Fabrizio Meo, you will admire the beautiful tempera painted ceilings in which an enigmatic dragon dominates four different scenes: dating back to the second half of the eighteenth century, they represent the unique and unpublished testimony of Franciscan alchemical iconography never discovered.
Copper art
Named after the progenitor of the last family of coppersmiths from Agnonesi, the Francesco Historical Museum Gerbasi tells of the ingenuity of a people who with metalworking have forged not only their own identity but also an important part of the culture Alchemical. Among original tools and ancient pieces, you will visit the foundry where copper takes the first form; then the coppersmiths' workshop, where artisans transformed the "forged". Lastly the “Bottega di Felice Gerbasi” who has accompanied centuries of tradition into modernity.
Who tolls the bell?
Get ready to meet the twenty-sixth generation of Marinelli’s, owners of the eponymous Pontifical Foundry whose bells, for almost a millennium, have been tolling in cities all over the world. Here you will learn all about the various production steps and you will exclusively witness the suggestive final phase: the opening of the bell. In the John Paul II International Museum, on the other hand, you'll see models, tools, casts, and a large collection of sacred bronzes.