|
Bussana was founded
around 1050 a.d. on a rocky hilltop where the former lord of the land, one
of the Counts of Ventimiglia, built a manor. In 1259 Bussana was bought by
the Repubblica di Genova. At the turn of the 14th century the number of
houses and therefore of inhabitants had increased significantly. The
chapel of the castle proved to be too small for the congregation. As a
result they started building a church. It was finished in 1404 and it was
dedicated to S.Egidio. Two more aisles were added because of the increase
in population. The new aisles were completed in 1505.In 1652 a huge part
of the Romanic structure was torn down to make way for a Baroque church.
The columns which lined the two aisles were taken away and six chapels,
each one with its own altar, were built into the walls. Gerolamo Comanedi,
a young artist coming from Osteno (Lugano) worked there all this life
long, creating remarkable interior fittings with paintings, stuccoes and
friezes.
A
century later, one of his nephews, who was named after him, added more
frescoes and stuccos completing the work at the side chapels, Antonio
Storace from Sampierdarena and G.B.Marazzo from Riva Ligure, both of them
painters, worked there too. The facade was restored by the brothers Adani
from Como in 1807.During the 1887 earthquake on the 23rd of February, the
first shock came at 6.21 in the morning. Three kilometers down below,
close to the sea, the foundation stone of the town hall of Bussana was
laid, on 14th June 1889. Thus the new Bussana came into being as the old
one was abandoned. Clizia, a potter and painter from Torino came to
Bussana Vecchia in 1959. He thought he had found here an ideal site to
start an international artistic center. In 1961 he founded the
International Community of Artists together with a poet, Giovanni Fronte
and a painter, Vanni Giuffrè. Eventually the restoration of the less
damaged buildings began by moving mountains of rubble with very little
money, there was no water, electricity or sewage. Soon more artists came.
They were from France, Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Holland as well as
Italy. Some settled permanently and others came for periods throughout the
year. At the end of the 60' the Community numbered some thirty artists:
painters, sculptors, potters, writers, musicians, actors and designers.
Clizia left Bussana Vecchia to found a local school of pottery in
Castigliole d'Asti. Some left thinking the experience had come to and end,
others were attracted by the spell and magic of this ancient village and
decides to stay.
|
