The Horse World

Our Horse Museum Foundation made its galloping debut this week at the Cavalli a Roma event in Rome, which was held at the Fiera di Roma led by the splendid organization of the team responsible for Fieracavalli Verona. An important debut for us, which for the first time we came out to the world as a Foundation!

Four days of pure fun and surprises during the Cavalli a Roma event, which saw us among many other protagonists, from the 13th to 16th of February in the splendid pavillon dedicated to families, together with other operators professioals of the horse world (with horses and other real animals), all with the same goal: to bring the horse and its world closer to everyone's heart and to give children an unforgettable experience to discover the horse riding Discipline with a capital D.

We entered with this goal, and we went back home achieving much more.
For the occasion of the event we brought with us a program of activities, that ran in theme and content with our whole motto and mission: to make history, art and culture in all its forms, known and loved through the common passion of the horse and horse riding. 

During these days we met many schools, from kindergartens of nearby Fiumicino to Higher Institutes like Highschools and Horse Riding Schools from all over Italy, curious to learn more about the horse and learn more about its world, from the different breeds to the competitions.
Our toys and wooden horses have been really put to the test (but they manage to make it out safe and sound)!!

An unforgettable Valentine's Day!

This Valentine's Day wasn't memorable just for lovers, but it was especially for all of us at Horse Museum. A "Pact of Understanding" signed by our President Maria Vittori with the President of FISE Marco di Paola.

A handshake that marks the beginning of a great collaboration and many projects in the pipeline, we can say a real "Pact of Love" between sport and art!

Horses made of clay, wood and...paper

A series of events that saw the participation of some of our dearest friends and associations that over the years have collaborated with us, such as the Rocca Priora library, which brought a sequel to the children's workshop "Create your Horse", already tested during our exhibition "Freedom and the Horse ", inaugurated in December 2019 right in the town of Rocca Priora. During the workshop we also set up an "extemporaneous art exhibition" that was... a little more on the abstract side of things, made up of the drawings of our little fans.

The theme? Horses of course.

Oh and about art...

In these days, as scheduled, the San Giuseppe Arts Highschool of Grottaferrata came to visit us, together with our Horse Museum and the members of the FISE team, toured the fair in search of inspiration for their "Exhibition of Contemporary Art".

Drawing a horse is difficult, but creativity has no limits and these young boys and girls have been more than capable in doing so!

Their visit was also an opportunity to announce our FIRST ARTISTIC COMPETITION open to schools and to all those who have a passion for horses and want to represent them with any medium of their art.

You can download the form and details of the contest to participate, click this link (coming soon), and remember to follow us!

From Art to Pictures

The photographer Massimo Argenziano came to visit us, he donated to our Foundation his fantastic photos of the equestrian competitions. At the fair we also created a space dedicated to the 2022 World Championships in Eventing and Combined Competitive Driving inside the Federal Equestrian Riding Center of Pratoni del Vivaro, that showed his wonderful pictures as a tribute to horse riding competitions.

Together with him we made the ritual Prosecco toast, and we went to discover the meaning and stories behind some of his most memorable shots. A valuable lesson, especially for those who want to follow in their own passion of photographing horses.

And we will receive more photos from enthusiasts who came to visit us like the English lady who told us about a great festival celebrating horses that takes place in Burkina Faso and wich photos she will send us.

2020 a Year dedicated also to the Chinese Horse!

Arriving on Sunday we closed in style with a morning dedicated to the Chinese horse, to whom we set up an entire corner of the exhibition, where we gathered all our Oriental style horses and ponies.

We did it to honor 2020, which was declared the year of Tourism and Culture between Italy and China. A year that did not start very well, so we wanted to demonstrate despite everything all of our solidarity towards the Chinese people, who have been fighting a great evil in the recent months, not only for them but for the whole world.

For this reason, on Sunday we recorded a video in our Chinese exhibition space, together with Maria Vittori, Claudia Bettiol and with Bruno Grassetti, who received the Friendship Medal from the Chinese Government, and the President of F.I.S.E. Marco di Paola.

You can watch the interview/video by clicking THIS LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSloQJ01V08&feature=youtu.be

A video to wish a speedy recovery to our friends in China, Italy is with you, and your riders are always welcome in the Italian Equestrian Sports Federation, we are waiting for you!!

In recent months we have also begun to write and publish stories about China, horses, popular traditions and many other curiosities that you can see by clicking here, and in our China & Chinese Art section.

Four days of raw emotions that we will not easily forget, and that even now, as we dismantle our glass cases and signs, they buzz in our heads and fill us with energy for all of the planned projects that we are about to carry out.

We thank those who came to our exhibition to learn more about us, but also all those who helped us make this possible, from the staff of Veronafiere and Fieracavalli, to the associations and professionals who in recent years have followed us blindly in a dream that is finally becoming a reality.

Giuseppe L'Abbate, Undersecretary of State to the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies, gave us a visit during the Fair. A greeting that we warmly welcomed and reciprocate!

So what can we say, let's start galloping towards new horizons !!

Could we miss? But of course we do not miss a horse event, especially if it is near our home and especially if it is an opportunity to meet up with friends.
On Saturday, we went around excitedly at the stands where all the shows were sold out.

Young and less-young people strolled excitedly along the avenue that separates the various pavilions and stopped at the numerous stands that offered every variety of food. On all stood a large pink booth with the words 'Pizza and Mortazza', and how to blame him! It is the emblem of Rome along with Pizza, figs and ham.

An entire pavilion was dedicated to the well-being of the horse and to the relationship between man and horse. Very interesting and for next year we will propose a space for our Horse Museum Collection.

But perhaps the most exciting thing was the smell of the pits set up in Hall 1. A mixture of sweat, adrenaline of horses and riders and love of the groom and the riders. A smell that penetrates straight into the memories of all those who spent part of their time in the stable.

Then the laps of honor of the champions among the applause of the public. For the record, the "Grand Prix Cavalli in Rome Ad Maiora IR" of CSI ** show jumping was won by the knight Modenese Gianni Govoni with Lucaine.

The evening ended with our friends Maria Baleri from Fieracavalli and all the Knights of the Cottanello association, true artists of the Tolfetano horse.

But with the approaching spring we will have many opportunities to return to meet with the excuse of the horses.

The finish of the Longines Global Champions Tour for Show Jumping on September 8 was entrusted to the Association of the Roman Carnevals that promotes the ancient Italian equestrian tradition, presenting it in a contemporary way.

Few can imagine the glories of the papal courts over the centuries and in particular in the Baroque period. It is in these years that the great parties were created with majestic scenery. Bernini was indeed a great architect, but he was also an organizer of outdoor events and festivals. He was partly responsible for the infiorata tradition that lives again in a different way every year in many towns of Lazio (and not only).

The Roman carnival was a tradition in which competitions and equestrian performances were held and this spirit is what led horse lovers to propose an event that puts equestrian art at the centre.

Certainly once upon a time the relationship with the animal was much less respectful of the horse while all the shows of today are carried out in such a way as to respect the animal and reward a relationship of enjoyment and challenge between horses and riders.

The idea has become an unforgettable spectacle in the scenario of the Stadium 'dei Marmi' where both carousels of horses and artists have performed.

Perhaps the most poetic part were the events in which horses and riders danced in sync using plays of colour with ribbons and lights. Slow movements to the rhythm of emotional music that made the night of Rome even more magical.

It is true that all the spectators loved the horses but few could imagine to be projected into a dreamlike dimension where you could relive the glories of the Baroque while being in the present.

Rome presented as few imagine it and an even more magical Rome thanks to the Roman Carnival.

The equestrian show of the ancient Roman Carnival comes alive with an unforgettable spectacle at the Stadio dei Marmi Pietro Mennea in Rome. The show is on at the end of the Longines Global Champions Tour.

The Roman Carnival is structured around the story of three great Italian traditions related to the horse. 

The first is the culture of the horse as a companion of life and work represented by the Butteri of Cottanello with Mauro Perni and Alessandro Volpi, testimonial of the 120th Fieracavalli of Verona.

The second tribute is to the immense contributions of the Italian military tradition to international equestrian heritage: guests of honour will be the Regiment and the Band of the Lancers Regiment of Montebello who will perform in their Carosello di Lance on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Captain Federico Caprilli, creator of the Natural Riding System, i.e. the way in which today riders are mounted on horseback and the Carosello of Villa Buon Respiro.

The last part concerns the show of equestrian art begun in the Renaissance and which continues in the great European academies. Today this art is represented in modern spectacular forms within the great national and international fairs. Among the protagonists of the equestrian show: Gianluca Coppetta with the dance body Siyanda, Roberto Concezzi, David Giorgi, Alessandro Conte with his students Loretta Minollini and Thomas Giampieri and the Italian Association Muli Montati.

Other great Italian equestrian artists will be present, including Andrea Giovannini, the standard bearer of the Carnival and multi-champion of dressage.

The touches of the spectacular include the Flagwavers of Castel Madama, the figures of the historical procession of the Comunitas Sublacensis and the Flagwavers and Musicians of Velletri, who with their presence in costume will bring out the magic of the past. The evening ends with the traditional Moccoletti Festival.

Organizer of the event is the Roman Carnival Association with its energetic president Marco Lepre and the show will be presented by Daniele Coscarella, Emanuela Panatta and Maria Baleri. The event takes advantage of the directorial and organizational contribution of Umberto Scotti, Alessandro Salari and Riccardo Di Giovanni, who have always been behind the scenes of the Roman Carnival events.

We arrived in Marta on Lake Bolsena at 5 just in time to go and see some evidence of the equestrian show in the evening and become familiar with the field for the Cavalli sul Lago.

There were many new faces but there is someone familiar who calls you by name and greets you with a smile. There are butteri (cowboys) with cloaks of all colours, so many ways of interpreting the Italian traditions that are still alive and present in these parts.

On the one hand there is a mule and two oxen that seem to come directly out of a painting by Giovanni Fattori a couple of centuries ago. And I immediately think of the fatigue our ancestors suffered ... We are lucky.

You can sense the excitement of the evening in the direction, with the director Umberto Scotti who would like to have everything in order and the riders who would like to have even more time available. Maria Baleri, the presenter, learns hundreds of names and stories: she presents off the cuff, but spontaneity comes from professionalism.

Wandering around for the rehearsals and at some point, I am struck by a couple who are practising in the arena, a robust local buttero (cowboy) who expresses power with a Maremma saddle and a young girl with an English saddle that expresses grace.

In fact, the first thing that had struck me was the music: "something stupid like I love you ...", a song of 1966 brought to success by Frank Sinatra and his daughter Nancy but who was recently sung by Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman. Sensual like few others.

The event had been announced as “pas de deux” or 'Step of Two' and the two riders ran and chased each other, sometimes holding their hands but always looking into each other's eyes. One powerful and the other elusive.

I recognized the buttero (cowboy), Nevio Prugnoli, who held the reins with one hand and his other rested on his thigh with an attitude of 'challenge' or 'aloofness’.

Of course, the butteri need a hand to manage the cattle but, let's face it, there is a little feeling of being film-stars in their saddles. When they gallop their bodies seem to perform pirouettes in a strange form of "whirling grace".

The girl had a thin but muscular body and on the English saddle she looked like a butterfly. Straight and upright torso, without vortexes. I wondered what an English saddle was doing in the arena at the time.

But the two were interpreting the song in too intense a manner ... "something stupid like I love you ...". Were they lovers? It did not seem possible. Master and disciple? Too much intensity. A relationship of equal love without one of the two dominating the other is not that between teacher and disciple. I wonder.

I could not follow the whole performance, they were deciding how to get out of the action and we had to go take a shower before the evening. I had to charge the camera batteries and all the other things to get ready.

The night was coming and the curtain rose on Cavalli sul Lago.I exerted a little to understand where I had to put myself to better follow the show. The lights bore into my equipment and distracted me in my search for the right lens aperture.

Then suddenly Maria Baleri entered the scene and announced: 'A Two Step on horseback interpreted by Nevio and his daughter Margherita’'.

Now I understood everything!! 

What a fool: here is the love that united their eyes, here is the joy of holding hands at a gallop, here are the two horses that face each other and meet without any real dominion. Perhaps horses also loved or reflected love.

The power of Nevio and the pride in his appearance were in fact the pride of a father who brings the bride to the altar. Nevio was dressed in elegant country dress and his daughter in a long dress, and she looked just like a bride, confirming my feeling.

And meanwhile the music "something stupid like I love you ..." with the warm voices of Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman filled the air on the summer night in Marta on Lake Bolsena.

And now everything was back in harmony. Exciting like few others!

Who knows Atina? And the Val di Comino (Comino Valley)? We are in the Lazio side of the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise: a small paradise with castles, mountains, rivers and lush countryside.

And this was the setting for the Summer Tour organized by Fieracavalli of Verona to celebrate its 120th anniversary, an important milestone for one of the most important fairs in the world dedicated to the horse world.

The link with the Valle di Comino was born three years ago when Fieracavalli began to explore the world of equestrian tourism, which, like all forms of emotional and experiential tourism, has a strong interest from those who want to visit our country in an original way. A way to combine sport, nature and famous Italian towns. With the publication of the "Italia a Cavallo" guide- in collaboration with the Touring Club , Fieracavalli discovered some of the most exciting routes in this area.

A study on the horse trails has been commissioned, meanwhile a group of volunteers - the "Riders of the Tratturi of the Val di Comino" -  have been working hard, cleaning up and organizing an incredible series of paths and tracks for a total of 120 km of trails that went to form the  "Valle di Comino Equestrian Park" (inaugurated on the 17th of June), practicable on horseback, on foot and by mountain bike.

The ‘tratturi’ are the ancient roads used by shepherds to move sheep twice a year from the summer mountain pastures to the winter pastures in the coastal areas and vice versa. For millennia, to offer greener pastures to their flocks, shepherds have traced paths and rest areas, in sanctuaries or special places with a unique charm.

Some of these ‘tratturi’ and transhumance trails have been candidated by Italy as Unesco World Heritage sites.

"From our report we saw that the Val Comino was all covered by a series of paths of various kinds, like the veins in a human body. We decided to deepen and discover this partly unknownvterritory ," says Luciano Rizzi, Director of Commercial Area Agriexpo and Technology Veronafiere.

In the meantime, with the 120th anniversary of Fieracavalli comes the desire for a whole year of celebrations throughout Italy. The passion for horses is universal and in Italy it manifests itself with many customs, competitions, parties and events.

"Therefore, the idea of ​​creating different events came: in Syracuse, Atina and then in Tuscany and Emilia Romagna. We joined existing and successful events while in Val di Comino we helped to create a specific event to reflect the soul of the place".

For the Fieracavalli Summer Tour Val di Comino the formula was passion for horses, sport, entertainment and discovery of the territory. The same evening Gala (whose program was directed and written by Maria Baleri, a woman with the “horse gene” running through her veins with such a passion that perhaps, she should learn how to neigh to get even deeper into the horse world) wanted to tell the story and traditions of the Valley of Comino through a series of numbers that condensed equestrian technique, dance and spectacle.

But Atina has also been a showcase for local producers who have achieved excellence. No 'junk food’ but food culture. We strolled through the food and wine stands, hearing conversations on the cold pressing of olives, the best time for the grape harvest and the sparkling of native grapes.

A delight for those who want to discover the soul of a place and meet 'real people', those who get up early in the morning to check a Senatore Cappelli wheat field , who fight the extinction of the Quadricorn Sheep and the Donkey of the Lepini area. Those who turn a simple meal into an experience of flavors and colors.

A special mention has to be made to the Butteri of Cottanello group: beautiful as the sun. They know about tradition, culture, love and Italian history. They are elegant on their horses, in their clothes and with their crafted Tolfa saddles . Their name is “Association of riders and breeders of the Tolfetano horse of Cottanello”. We followed them along the tratturo that leads to Atina for the blessing in front of the church. But we also shot them in backstage moments of well-deserved rest.

The Fieracavalli Summer Tour was held in the Equestrian Center of Atina, a real surprise for those who had never heard of the Valle di Comino. A center that hosts international competitions with sand and grass fields along the banks of the charming Melfa river, which after running along Atina, it enters one of the most beautiful gorges in Italy.

We were there with a photo exhibition taken by the great photographer Tonino Bernardelli and the book 'Stories of women, men, horses and art' that we donated to the winners of the competitions and to the representatives of the associations,  trying to capture all the emotions of the participants.

Fieracavalli Summer Tour Valle di Comino has passed the test, the enthusiasm of the public has been amazing, the local organization has set up a well oiled machine fueled by professionalism, now finally  a reality for the territory that will increasingly be a reference point for tourism.

The work of those who love the horse and this land and has cleaned and arranged over 120 km of bridleways has been more than useful: only those who sow can harvest. And the Associazione Cavalieri dei Tratturi of Val di Comino has made a good harvest!

Honor to the riders and to all those who love the horse world in all its nuances!
 

This is a new experience for all those who love outdoor activities in uncontaminated areas where history and nature merge. We are talking about Val di Comino, part of the Lazio side of the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise where 120 km of trails were recently opened for horseback, by mountain bike or on foot.

The paths have a point of reference in the town of Alvito but also cross the territories of Posta Fibreno, Campoli Appennino, San Donato Val di Comino, Vicalvi and Gallinaro. A network also connects Abruzzo with rings that reach Opi and Pescasseroli. Alvito is in fact located at the junction of the Valle del Liri, the river rose in Abruzzo, above the Val di Comino that shares many mountains with Abruzzo.

Some tracks are the ancient transhumance (migration) routes, the so-called 'tratturi' that shepherds and flocks used to reach the rich mountain pastures in summer and the green coastal plains in winter. The tratturi are part of the culture of our countryside so much as to have been candidates for the intangible heritage of UNESCO (as happened for the Neapolitan pizza) and has already passed the first selection phase.

Going through them means truly experiencing ancestral emotions, millennia of history that come back and can be felt. Above all because in many of the villages of the Val di Comino the ancient traditions have remained intact and you can take part in some unique experiences.

The network has been reorganized by the 'I Cavalieri dei Tratturi della Val di Comino' association, a group of enthusiasts who in the last years have spent their time rediscovering and recreating links between paths and places of interest.

This has given rise to a series of routes organized so as to be enjoyed by people with different experiences and expectations. They have varying degrees of difficulty and effort ranging from the simplest of a couple of hours to the one that can last several days and requires an overnight stay in a tent, in a shelter or in one of the affiliated B & Bs.

What is certain is that all pass in places of particular interest such as the castle of Cantelmo di Alvito, which was also a centre for a German garrison on the Gustav Line during the Second World War, to all the castles and palaces of the Val di Comino.

From the point of view of a naturalist you should not miss the Fossa Majura, the second largest dolina (sinkhole) in Europe on the border with Campoli Appennino, the town famous for the presence of Marsican brown bears enclosed within a wildlife oasis, even if bears are everywhere. Another interesting park to mention is the Riserva Naturale del lago di Posta Fibreno with its floating island.

The unusual experiences are innumerable and there are also the passages of some paths to two ancient abandoned villages of Alvito, that of Curtignale and La Capputtine.

Remember that if you go riding on the paths that pass through the National Park you have to be in groups with authorized guides of the park who know how to reconcile the presence of man with that of nature that still follows its traditional rhythms.

There is no problem for sustenance breaks. You can quench your thirst with fresh water, or with Atina DOC cabernet wine, and you can taste the delights of the valley: Atina's DOP cannellini beans the famous Pecorino cheese from Picinisco DOP and the Casalvieri saffron. For dessert? If you do not know the Torroncino (nougat) di Alvito then it's time to try it.

For fans of equestrian sports we report a great activity in the world of the horse in the Val of Comino, the Circolo Ippico di Atina where international competitions are held and where in the second half of July the Summertour of Fieracavalli di Verona will start with fairs and shows of the equestrian world.

Shows that illustrate all the different sports and that bring you closer to a unique world. You can learn about the world and the towns and countries through the knowledge of the different relationships that have linked men and horses. Not to be missed for a unique weekend.

An original experience? To walk these paths on foot beside a donkey with a halter full of supplies for journeys lasting more than a day. With all these activities, the Val di Comino has projected itself as a leader in nature tourism and in equestrian sport where the history and beauty of the places make the travel experience unique.

For more information Fb @cavalierideitratturi