{"id":255,"date":"2006-12-05T07:25:14","date_gmt":"2006-12-05T07:25:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.sararosso.com\/index.php\/2006\/12\/05\/give-them-a-hand-for-using-their-hands\/"},"modified":"2009-12-29T10:48:37","modified_gmt":"2009-12-29T09:48:37","slug":"give-them-a-hand-for-using-their-hands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2006\/12\/05\/give-them-a-hand-for-using-their-hands\/","title":{"rendered":"Artigiano in Fiera 2006 – Milan International Crafts Fair"},"content":{"rendered":"

This weekend I spent most of my time at the Artigiano in Fiera<\/a> at Milan – which translates to “Craftsman” or “Handyman” and roughly means to me – all things made by hand and\/or homemade.<\/p>\n

What it also meant was a chance to get closer to the people that are making things, which is something that I’ve really been fascinated by lately. Which is why I like looking at a site like Etsy.com<\/a>, which has brought together tons of artists and crafts(ladies) for jewelry and other handmade items.<\/p>\n

Artigiano in Fiera is quickly becoming one of my favorite times of the year. Kilometers and kilometers of booths of craftsmen and small-scale manufacturers that I wouldn’t have been able to get introduced to otherwise. There are 10 pavilions, the majority of which are dedicated to the Italian regions, with 1-3-5 showcasing the Lombardy region, 2-4-6 showcasing the other Italian regions, 7-8-9-10 showcasing other parts of the world including Russia, China, India, and Europe.<\/p>\n

There is something for everyone there – handmade soap, furniture, jewelry, scarves, ceramics, wine, fresh mozzarella, quilts, paintings, wooden flowers, kites, persian rugs, table settings, olives, cannoli, restaurants, lace, lamps, hookahs, tapestries, stemware, ornaments, wooden sculptures, heating systems, internet, custom-made shirts, hats, bread, liquor, and….more.<\/p>\n

*takes in breath*<\/p>\n

You can outfit your house, find a Christmas gift, or just take the Sunday “passegiata” walk for a change of scenery, although this really isn’t recommended. Because in the end, it’s not a walk in the park.<\/p>\n

It’s a war.<\/p>\n

Artigiano in Fiera is really a modern-day natural selection. It’s a test of wills and skills to keep going through the thousands of people to get the best product samples, the latest fad or the cheapest deal on that lamp you’ve been eyeing.<\/p>\n

And like all good natural selection, it preys on the weak.<\/p>\n

Mother with a baby in a stroller? Time to destruction: 45 minutes
\nMother with a baby in a sling? Two hours
\nMother with small children? 53 minutes (give or take 10 minutes if sweets are bought)
\nOld men on their Sunday passegiata? 1 hour, 10 minutes
\nYoung couple? Until whichever meal is the closest
\nHaggling casalinghe (housewives)? 4+ hours<\/p>\n

Saturday and Sunday I saw most people dropping like flies and leaving due to the confusion, the chaos and the CHOICE. Because we all know, sometimes too much choice is not a good thing. Especially in my case, I nearly go crazy from it, and in the end, that’s what got me. I only made it to three hours because my head self-combusted from too much choice.<\/p>\n

I stood in the middle of one of the pavilions, debating whether I should head back to Southern Italy, go through India again or if I should give another look at the display in China. My brain couldn’t calculate the best solution, so in the end, I left.<\/p>\n

But I’ll be back.<\/p>\n

Let’s give a little credit where credit is due – here’s a few videos I managed to film – I was so close because I was pressed up against whatever divider separated man from the animals (us being the animals).<\/p>\n

[Note: Embedded videos – click through to site if you don’t see them]<\/p>\n

Making Kurtoskalacs, a traditional Hungarian sweet. The cinnamon one was sooooooo good.<\/p>\n

<\/object><\/p>\n

Here’s a closer look at my Hungarian treat, Kurtoskalacs. It was a bit spongy like bread and the outside was crisp, and the best part was that you got to peel it down the same way that he put it on the baking roll holder. Yum!<\/p>\n

\"Kurtoskalacs,<\/a><\/p>\n

A man putting touches on some pottery.<\/p>\n

<\/object><\/p>\n

Making la Focaccia Ligure – there was a line about 30 people deep for this.<\/p>\n

<\/object><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This weekend I spent most of my time at the Artigiano in Fiera at Milan – which translates to “Craftsman” or “Handyman” and roughly means to me – all things made by hand and\/or homemade. What it also meant was a chance to get closer to the people that are making things, which is something…<\/p>\n

Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-255","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-italy","7":"category-milan","8":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4uB1-47","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":431,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2007\/12\/05\/artigiano-fiera-milan-international-fair\/","url_meta":{"origin":255,"position":0},"title":"Artigiano in Fiera – Milan’s International Handicraft and Food Fair","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"December 5, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Here are some pictures from my recent trip(s) from the Artigiano in Fiera at Milan, Milan's International Handicrafts and Food fair. I've posted pictures and some videos from past years. The fair includes food and products from all over Italy as well as various parts of the world. My favorite\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Behind the Scenes"","block_context":{"text":"Behind the Scenes","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/behind-the-scenes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mozzarella at the Artigiano in Fiera, Milan","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2044\/2088558600_5c557ed0a3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":257,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2006\/12\/09\/saturday-photo-scavenger-hunt-red\/","url_meta":{"origin":255,"position":1},"title":"Images of Red: Pepperoncini, Candy, Sunsets","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"December 9, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"This Saturday finds me in London, and of course if I was able to, I would post a big Red Doubledecker bus. But for now, I'll just post some other visions of red I've had lately. For some reason the color red as well as the word have some special\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Italy"","block_context":{"text":"Italy","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/italy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pepperoncini e Salame","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static.flickr.com\/106\/315217307_5d3167a439.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":420,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2007\/11\/28\/december-events-in-milan\/","url_meta":{"origin":255,"position":2},"title":"December Events in Milan","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"November 28, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Milan may not have the rolling green hills of Tuscany or the beaches in Puglia, but the first weeks of December in Milan are one of the most exciting times of the year. Everything is decorated, market stalls selling interesting gift ideas are everywhere, samples abound, and there are people\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Holiday"","block_context":{"text":"Holiday","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/italy\/holiday\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Milan during the Holidays (2006)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2413\/2070985176_b666ff47d3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":273,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2007\/03\/19\/how-to-make-hot-pepper-chili-oil\/","url_meta":{"origin":255,"position":3},"title":"How to Make Hot Pepper Chili Oil","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"March 19, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"How to make hot pepper chili oil...and feed an addiction and use it everywhere! I mentioned at the beginning of the year, one of my recent flavor obsessions is peperoncino, hot peppers, and the most seductive form of peppers to me is olio piccante, hot pepper oil. (Like cooking? Check\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Discovering Food"","block_context":{"text":"Discovering Food","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/discovering-food\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fresh Pepperoncini","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm1.static.flickr.com\/149\/349207286_71fb5cf52a.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":428,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2007\/12\/03\/dolce-italiano-sicilian-pistachio-cookies\/","url_meta":{"origin":255,"position":4},"title":"Dolce Italiano: Sicilian Pistachio Cookies","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"December 3, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Important Note: I'm seeing some confusion in the comments section - You do not need pistachio paste to make this recipe - the original recipe (listed below) calls for whole pistachios. I used the paste because I had it on hand. So we're in week 2 of the Dolce Italiano\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog Event"","block_context":{"text":"Blog Event","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/blog-event\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pure Bronte (Sicilian) Pistachios ready for my cookies","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2413\/2082620147_6ff1c7c65c.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":115,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2005\/12\/11\/bits-beppe\/","url_meta":{"origin":255,"position":5},"title":"Bits & Beppe","author":"Sara, Ms Adventures in Italy","date":"December 11, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Thought those of you interested in a Italian comings and goings should know about Beppe Grillo, if you don't already. He has a blog, which is also available in english. He has been one of the most outspoken critics of the government, though he is technically classified as a comedian,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/italy\/italian-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2241,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255\/revisions\/2241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}