The 28th of
August, I attended a Medieval festival held in Manfredonia, north of Apulia.
I was
there, taking pictures of a Saracen encampment within the Medieval castle of
Manfredonia.
By the way, the Saracens were tough fighters, faithful to Frederick II the Swabian.
According to Vito Salierno author of I Musulmani in Puglia e in Basilicata (Ed. Laicata, 2000), Friederick II had relocated around 40.000 Saracens from Sicily to Lucera, north of Apulia.
Indeed, this Apulian town will turned its name to Luceria Saracinorum.
According to Vito Salierno author of I Musulmani in Puglia e in Basilicata (Ed. Laicata, 2000), Friederick II had relocated around 40.000 Saracens from Sicily to Lucera, north of Apulia.
Indeed, this Apulian town will turned its name to Luceria Saracinorum.
Let's come back to the Medieval festival
I was captured by the archers who brilliantly showed their skills.
Meantime, I
am told that outside the castle, it is going to be held a Medieval fight.
Therefore,
I quickly move away, heading to the combat zone.
I really
like to see fighters protected by armour battling each other.
In this circumstance,
I have the opportunity to know Matteo Riccardi.
During the Medieval fight, Matteo
covers the role of referee. I catch his eye as I sneakily try to gain the best
position for taking pictures.
He tells me: “mind to not get hurt”, Then, he adds:
“why don’t you come to visit me?”.
Matteo
Riccardi is an artisan, who produces Medieval armours.
He inherits
this passion from his father Michele, who started creating small armours for puppets
of the Sicilian theater.
At the
beginning, Matteo made armours for hobby, as his job was bricklayer.
However, he
quit his job in 1988. Since then, he
dedicated all his energies to make armours. So, his hobby turned in a job.
The artisans
represents the spine of the Italian manufacturing system.
“In the Middle age, the best armour makers were Italians, particularly the Missaglia’s family from Milan” Matteo says.
The
Missaglia’s family exported their armours all around Europe. They competed
against German armour makers located in Augusta and Nuremberg.
Matteo states that the armours were at that time a status symbol.
Just noble and aristocrats could afford
to buy it.
“Once a gay man asked me to make a chastity belt for man” he confides to me.
“So, I made it for him.
However, I thanked him several times, because I sold almost 100 chastity belt like that”.
“So, I made it for him.
However, I thanked him several times, because I sold almost 100 chastity belt like that”.
Matteo is
currently setting up a show room, which is supposed to be ready in a couple of
months.
He can not keep talking with me as he needs to complete an armour for a hourse. So, he apologizes and I apologize too.
So, before
leaving, I offer him my support as English speaker for business purposes.
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