Italian festivals

[ta0]

A couple of top festivals in May in Italy:

Third edition of the Festival delle Trottole, Limena, Padua, May 10 - 11. This is organized by Alberto (Energia Ludica).



They want to have a record of 500 tops spinning simultaneously.
More info: https://www.festivaldelletrottole.it/

Then on May 24 - 25th, the spin goes from east to west of Italy for the 2nd Festival delle Trottole in Tortona (between Milan and Genoa). This is organized by Rocco.
I'll be there!
No poster yet.

By the way, check the Festival page of the association and submit any upcoming festival. https://spintops.org/fests/

[ta0]

The poster for the Tortona Festival in 3 weekends (but first the Limea festival this weekend).



Rocco has mentioned secret surprises for this festival. I believe Attila will also be there.

[ta0]

Nice group in Limena this weekend:



I look forward to meeting some of them in just 12 days!

[ta0]

The sign says: "School to throw tops"



Nice grass area!

[ta0]

Nice coverage on Italian TV:

https://tgpadova.telenuovo.it/attualita ... e-passioni

(the video didn't work for me with Firefox but it played on Chrome and Edge)

[jim in paris]

Very good documentary thanks for sharing
one of the piazza is called Malaspina
which sounds like "bad spin"

it refers to a military officer from the region of Toscane
it is also the name of a castle in Corsica

https://balagne-corsica.com/patrimoine- ... -malaspina

bene spina à tutti

jim

[ta0]

one of the piazza is called Malaspina
which sounds like "bad spin"

I'm in Switzerland, on my way to Tortona.
I was at Chaplin's World, the museum at the home where Chaplin lived after being expelled from the US. One of the rooms is circus themed and it was perfect for getting out my top:



Are there any spintop scenes in silent movies? There must be, but I don't know of any. By the way, this is one of the best museums about a person that I have ever visited.

[the Earl of Whirl]

Amazing!!! I knew nothing about this. Thanks for posting and best wishes to all the top rests and the participants.

[jim in paris]

great sequence at the Chaplin ' s museum !
now you have to take a walk around kennington road in london where he spent his early times after orphanage ..
about tops in silent movies: it needs a serious search
there is one Zorro épisode (in B&W ) where Bernardo plays balero and trompo

have fun pescatore !


jim

[ta0]

I arrived to Tortona!

I met Rocco, Andrea, Christoff (plus wife and cute daughter) and Attila plus Baba) at the Piazza di Duomo where they were preparing one of the stages.Tomorrow Aperino, Maurizio and Silvia and probably Alberto are arriving.

There weather is great and there is a popular wine and food festival in town this weekend, so we expect lots of public. The atmosphere for the festival is perfect.

[ta0]

I have been very busy since I came back home. Here are finally some photos of the festival:



It was a wonderful festival. We were very lucky with the weather, as the previous week there was a big storm.
It was great to see again the inimitable Rocco and family and friends, as well as Andrea (and new wife), Christoph (with wife and little girl), Maurizio and Silvia, Attila and Baba, Marco, Giampaolo and others. So many new memories. What a great time!

[Mark Leithead]

I have been very busy since I came back home. Here are finally some photos of the festival:

Very nice photos There are some great shots there!

[ta0]

The "Friendship Top" and other clips:



At around 0:30 Rocco does some regenerations by sliding the top on the lower horizontal string. I think they are pretty and original (but related to barrel rolls). I propose to call them Rocco Slide.

The parade with a "blessing" from Monsignor Guido Marini. Because the festival (3rd year) with all its loud music is in front of the cathedral, Rocco has tried to be in good terms with the bishop.

[ta0]

The city had asked Rocco to hire also artists that were not top players. That's why we got the trampoline group (Truzzi Volanti), the singer/dancers, stilt walkers/soap bubbles troup, a contact juggler/story teller, and a magician/fakir. It made for a lively festival for the general public.

Actually, the last one, Alexsander "Shezan" De Bastiana, also has a complete Kyokugoma routine:



Rocco managed to include tops in most of the acts. Here the Truzzi Volanti jump over a fire top doing a wire walker:



On this one he puts a top inside a bubble:



And Shezan swallowed a sword with a top spinning on top:

[ta0]

I had met Giampaolo Baldin from Padova before, at the Cremona festival, but his time I got to know him better. He makes beautiful whimsical tops. He is more a glue-and-paint guy than a turner, recycling objects like wooden bases from lamps. He also buys tops from others (e.g. tippe tops), and paints them. From what I saw, he did very well at the festival and he was probably the most successful vendor.



When I found out that he used to be an opera singer I immediately asked him if he had been in the Barber of Seville. He had, in fact, but not as Figaro (which is sung by a baritone and he is a bass) but as the old man. For the first time, an opera singer sings Figaro with Figaro spinning on his hand:



I got from him a top with a full nativity scene that I gave to my mother for her 90th birthday. She was very happy because she could not take her nativity when she moved to Switzerland:

Mom with her 90th birthday present:



She doesn't spin it, but she told me she touches the baby Jesus everyday, and that makes her happy.