History

From about ten years "La Campana" has been the center of an experimental plan on the dye plants. It is proposed to point a system of cultivation and natural pigment extraction that can effectively replace the currently used chemical principles in various fields (textile, alimentary, and artistic). The original objective of the Department of Agronomy of the Bologna University, the Agency of Services of the Agroalimentare Field of the Marches, the Italian Confederation Agriculturists of the Marches, the Department of Chemistry of the Camerino University, a selected group of Agricultural Companies of the Marches, and other Institutes and private Public agencies was to obtain, at acceptable costs and involvement of the agricultural world, natural pigments. These agencies were in a position to strongly reduce or even eliminate the chemical polluting procedures that characterize the production of these pigments, which had had serious effects on the atmosphere, the health of the workers, and the users. The plan at the beginning was to evaluate the agronomic characteristics of seven vegetable species (tinctoria Isatis L. having the blue pigment, Carthamus tinctorius L. and Rubia tinctorum L. having the red pigment, luteola Reseda L., tinctoria Anthemis L., tinctoria Genista L.e Tagetes spp. having the yellow pigment). This pigment was anciently used to dye fabrics. The economic potentiality of the cultivation of this lost tradition evolved from the hands of the experts at La Campana when they extracted indigo from the woad. 

The Current Situation

The results obtained from the indigo extraction are extremely comforting: the samples of colored wool and cotton from the new procedure show an optimal resistance to not only washing and light, but also from the rubbing of the material. The produced fabrics are unmistakably characterized for their heterogeneity. A label is no longer needed to distinguish between the fabrics, for the natural fibers in the fabrics are themselves signs. The shirts created at La Campana are a line of original natural apparel made with wool dye made from natural colors. They are also available in other precious animal fibers, such as Italian produced alpaca and mohair, dyed in the same way.

The techniques for using the dying plants are extremely interesting. We are in a position to teach guests how to use these plants.

 The natural indigo has also been used in the restoration of frescoes of great artistic value.

In collaboration with ASSAM (Agency of Services Field Agroalimentare Marches), OVICA MARCHES, Prof. Carlo Renieri of the Medicine Faculty Veterinary of the University of Camerino, ENEA - Department biotechnologies, La Campana is breeding New Zealand merinos rams (black or brown) with Italian merinos sheep. We can evaluate the quality of the new type of spun Havana melange 100% wool. The breeding, finished in 2001, has created a new ovine population of fleece that will be used for their meat and their wool. This completely natural quality wool is ready to be spun after it is washed.