Grocery Shopping in Vibo Marina
/Calabrian Textiles by Bossio
/Last February I discovered a shop at the airport in Lamezia, that was selling beautiful textiles from local craft men.
I was fascinated from a white cotton bed cover with a simple red but decorative local embroidery pattern. I liked the shop and started to talk to the sales woman. She gave me a business card from the textile producer with a website address.
Some business men passed by, well dressed in dark suites, on their way back to Rome. One stopped at the shop and said to his colleague: "Look, this is what I used to have in my child's room. This is typical embroidery from my area. My Mamma used to have a lot of these...."
I was impressed. Although I used to come since several years to Calabria, I never saw them promoting local textiles. Of course local products are promoted, like local ceramics and above all local specialities like pepperoncini (chili), Vecchio Amaro del Capo (a herbal liquor that is served straight from the freezer), tuna, onions from Tropea, tartuffo ice cream from Pizzo etc.
Back home I thought I have lost the business card of the shop and all google researches never brought me back the factory name. Only a couple of weeks ago, in a side pocket of my trolley, I discovered the name card and now, I can present the name:
BOSSIO, fabbrica tessile
in Via P. Mancini, 3 - 87060 Calopezzati (CS)
(near Sibari)
www.fabbricatessilebossio.it
I wish I would have taken a photograph from the beautiful bed cover, because the website is not very professional. The pictures are too small and not very attractive. It looks a bit old fashioned (I guess it is) - but this need to be changed!
I think the shop at the airport, that presents some of the textiles is a good step forward. I wish I could be a little helper.
In the meanwhile I will post some of the pictures I have chosen from BOSSIO.
Calabria: Amarelli Liquorice
/On this side of the world it is wintertime and cold outside.
I am sitting at the computer (in Beijing) and next to me I have a tiny blue tin of 20 g best Italian liquorice (thanks to my Italian mother-in-law). I thought, I am going to post about this tiny tin.
It is Liquirizia Di Calabria from Amarelli in Rossano. The Amarelli company, founded in 1731, is one of the oldest liquorice (or licorice) producers. And Rossano is a city on the Ionian coast, the other coast of Calabria.
This is my favorite one. A red tin of 40 g pure liquorice. Same like in the tiny blue box.
"Liquorice is an elixir of longevity in Chinese medicine and according to Hippocrates, this root with a characteristic bitter-sweet taste, and vivifying, digestive and throat-soothing virtues, has been harvested since antiquity on the Calabria Ionian coast, where it grows naturally."
Throat-soothing, that's why I am a fan of it. Actually I was not aware of all the other benefits!
I love these nostalgic boxes. I hope Amarelli keeps them that way for ever!
Here I love the design better than the product inside:
The Beach-mare tin contains 20 g of liquorice with natural mint and is colour sugar coated.
The Sassolini are soft liquorice with natural anise and colour sugar coated. They come in a tin of 40 g.
In 2001, the Amarelli have inaugurated the "Giorgio Amarelli" Liquorice Museum which was awarded the Guggenheim Enterprise & Culture Trophy.
More info here:
Amarelli Company
Amarelli Museum
Amarelli history by Henokiens
Photo source: most of them via www.amarelli.it