Watching the making of pezzotti

Our grandmothers never threw anything away — every object could be transformed and repurposed for new uses. It was the peasant culture of reuse, of sacrifice, of respect for things and resources.

In Valtellina, these values gave rise to the tradition of pezzotti: traditional handmade rugs crafted from humble, natural materials such as cotton, wool and linen, woven on wooden looms, emblematic of local craftsmanship. Originally, this technique was used to make sacks for storing buckwheat. Some believe it was the Arabs who introduced the art of weaving pezzotti; others maintain it was the work of the Umiliati monks, who settled in Castionetto di Chiuro around the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. What is certain is that it was the peasant farmers who kept the tradition alive and passed it down to the present day.
Today, among the principal custodians of this handcraft knowledge are the Ruffoni family, based in Morbegno, and Toppi Bellini in Piateda.