Curiosity

Luisa Gregorj embodies the historical memory of the site; she has authored several publications on the furnace and the artists who were connected to it, thus representing the added value that was conveyed to the guests. Everyone paid tribute to the woman who, in the director's villa, meticulously illustrated the precious objects on display, each laden with history and testimonies of a world now lost. Occasionally, a former worker who had once been employed at the site would timidly appear, such as Elsa Paro, who was able to revisit the places of her childhood and embrace the descendant of her first employers. However, the two days were not solely dedicated to nostalgia. Thanks to the collaboration with Emanuela Sorbo, a professor of architectural restoration at the University Institute of Architecture of Venice, many young students presented their projects for the reuse of the furnace's structures to the public, displayed in the brick-making area.

Other invaluable guides included architects Laura Dal Pos and Gianluca Spironelli, who graduated in 2028 with a thesis on the complex. Architect Beatrice Ciruzzi also contributed with her restoration and revitalization projects for parts of the furnace and was a valuable asset in organizing the event. I would also like to highlight the invaluable contribution of the students from the Antonio Canova High School in Treviso, coordinated by their tutors and Professor Susanna Dei Rossi. On this occasion, we observed that industrial archaeology generates enormous interest in the community, extending beyond art and economic and social history enthusiasts. In this case, the mediation of Abbot Luigi Bailo played a crucial role, as it led Gregorio Gregorj to gather in the artists' hall figures such as Alberto and Arturo Martini, Luigi Serena, Arturo Malossi, and later Giuseppe Santomaso. Their work complemented the production of construction bricks with stunning artistic objects that anticipated the world of design, which would emerge decades later. The Guerra Gregorj Furnace, starting as a simple manufacturing site, succeeded in elevating and ennobling the ceramic industry, transforming it into a form of high artistic expression. This achievement was made possible by experimenting with materials and new processing techniques. Evidence of this is the complex structure of the Hoffmann kiln, the true centerpiece of the complex, and visiting its interior was the most moving moment of the entire tour.

The complex closed its doors in 1963 and was declared a “Precious testimony of a vanishing old world” in the decree issued by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage on June 10, 1987. We therefore hope that the interest sparked by the FAI Spring Days in 2019 will serve as an encouragement to initiate a careful reuse of the complex, introducing new functions that still manage to preserve and convey the significance of a site that stands as a symbol of entrepreneurship and labor in our region.”»