Altare

Altare
Comune
Comune di Altare
Saint Eugene Church
Altare
Location of Altare in Italy
Coordinates: 44°20′10.32″N 08°21′38.4″E / 44.3362000°N 8.360667°E / 44.3362000; 8.360667Coordinates: 44°20′10.32″N 08°21′38.4″E / 44.3362000°N 8.360667°E / 44.3362000; 8.360667
Country Italy
Region Liguria
Province Province of Savona (SV)
Government
 • Mayor Giuseppe Flavio Genta
Area
 • Total 11.7 km2 (4.5 sq mi)
Elevation 398 m (1,306 ft)
Population (2011)
 • Total 2,162
 • Density 180/km2 (480/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Altaresi
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code 17041
Dialing code +39 019
Patron saint S.Rocco
Saint day 16 August
Website Official website

Altare (Ligurian: Artâ, locally L'Atæ; Piemontese: Latè) is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Savona in the Italian region Liguria, located about 45 km (28 mi) west of Genoa and about 11 km (6.8 mi) northwest of Savona. As of 1 January 2009, it had a population of 2,160[1] and an area of 11.7 km2 (4.5 sq mi).[2]

Altare borders the following municipalities: Cairo Montenotte, Carcare, Mallare, Quiliano, and Savona.

Geography

Altare is just west of the Cadibona pass, which at 459 m (1,506 ft)[3] divides the Ligurian Alps from the Ligurian Apennines. Also called pass of Altare, it is accessed from the coast by the Via Nazionale Piemonte, winding up from Savona and crossing into Piedmont towards the north Italian plain.

History

Altare was home to an ancient glassmaking tradition, dating back to the Middle Ages. The origin of Altare glassworks is still unknown. Oral tradition has it that the art was spread from Northern France by Benedectine monks [4]. Samuel Kurinsky [5] posits that the original glassmakers were Sephardic Jews, based on the secretive character of their techniques and the distinct identity of the glassmakers as opposed to the rest of the population. If that is the case, they were completely assimilated, except for their traditional self-distinction. Altarist glassmakers were organized in guilds, not unlike other medieval craftsmen. The guild, known as the University maintained a very strict control over the glassmakers' techniques[6] [7]. Unlike the Venitians though, Altare was a net exporter of know-how throughout its history, as the local guild was never able to prevent the migration of its people to other places. Sometimes it even encouraged it. The importance of Altare revolves around this difference. For example, it appears that Giobatta Da Costa's invention of flint glass took place in London, while he worked for the Ravenscroft manufactory in 1674 [8]. Altarist glassmakers operated in France, at Olréans and Nevers and one of them, Bernard Perrot went on to become master of the Royal Glassworks in Orléans, after patenting many innovative techniques [9] [10]. The Museum of Glass in Villa Rosa at Altare preserves many pieces of fine glass produced during this tradition.

References

  1. ↑ "Demography in Figures". Istituto nazionale di statistica (ISTAT). August 2009.
  2. ↑ "City of Altare". comuni-italiani.it.
  3. ↑ The altitude is embossed on the plaque that marks the summit of the pass.
  4. ↑ Mallarini, Anselmo L'arte vetraria altarese, Bacchetta, 1995
  5. ↑ Kurinsky, Samuel. "The Glassmakers of Altare". Hebrew History Federation (HHF). Archived from the original on 10 April 2010. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
  6. ↑ A. Gasparetto, Il vetro di Murano dalle Origini, Venezia, 1958
  7. ↑ Badano Brondi, Maria Il centro vetrario di Altare, 2003
  8. ↑ Thorpe, W.A: A history of English and Irish glass, London, 1929
  9. ↑ Bondois P.M., Les Verreries nivernaise et orléanaise au xvii siècle. Jean Castellan et Bernard Perrot, Paris, 1932
  10. ↑ Barrelet J., La verrerie en France de l'époque Gallo-Romaine à nos jours, Paris, 1953

Further reading


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