Discover the history of local umbrella-makers and of their jargon
That of our local umbrella-makers is a story of struggle and sacrifice, but also a story of widsom, dedication and, sometimes, even success.
Discover the history of these skilled roving artisans and marvel at the wilfulness with which they pursued their vision, even inventing an interesting brand new jargon.
Discover the history of the local umbrella-makers: the Lusciàt
There are about 50 villages on Mount Mottarone’s slopes that are known as the Lusciàt’s “homeland. The Lusciàt were roving umbrella-makers who walked through near and far towns to make or repair umbrellas. The life as a Lusciàt starts on New Year’s Day in the Brovello-Carpugnino’s main square, just in front of the Church of San Donato. On that day, kids of the age of 7-8 were brought here by their parents and entrusted to a master Lusciàt, hoping that he could teach them this craft. The apprenticeship lasted for about 4 years and at the end of it the young boy received a pair of shoes or a cloak as a reward. Even now in the square in front of the Church of San Donato stands a monument after the young Lusciàt, represented by a cat holding an umbrella.
The umbrella obviously symbolizes the craft, while the cat is linked to the nickname of Carpugnino’s citizens, who are still called “gàt” (cats). On a building façade overlooking the square there is the following inscription: "Al prumm dal lungon in Carpignin, a truà l 'Casér, senza an bergnin”, namely “On New Year’s Day in Carpugnino, looking for a master, without a penny”.
Once the apprentices became real Lusciàt, the umbrella-makers worked initially as peddlers. They walked through the village alleys shouting “Ombrela! Ombrelé!” (“Umbrellas! Umbrella-maker!”) and the clients brought them their broken umbrellas. The Lusciàt always had a shoulder bag with him, called “barsèla”, and when moving from one place to another they walked barefoot to not wear out their shoes. They would eat the bare minimum, generally low-quality bread and cheese. They used to sleep in barns, and they left early in the morning with the umbrellas in the barsèla, coming back to their families just for Christmas. Every Lusciàt’s dream was to make their business successful enough so as to go from the barsèla to a bicycle, from the bicycle to a cart, and from the cart to a store. In order to make this dream come true, many Lusciàt emigrated and some of them finally managed to open their own stores in several cities in Italy and worldwide such as Turin, Rome, New York, Hong Kong and Sydney. The Lusciàt did not use the Italian language to communicate to each other, not even the local dialect. They would communicate in a jargon, called “Tarusc”, which they invented so to avoid being understood by laymen
In memory of the Lusciàt, a unique museum was inaugurated in 1939 in Gignese, a small town a few kilometers from Brovello-Carpugnino: the Umbrella and Parasol Museum. Dedicated to the history of parasols and umbrellas, and to the trade's pioneers, the Museum has over 10,000 visitors a year and tells us a "naive story but also a mirror of a migration realiy that has brought the skill of local umbrella makers all over the world".
Describe your image
Describe your image
Discover Tarusc,
Lusciàt's secret jargon
The Lusciàt did not use the Italian language to communicate to each other, not even the local dialect. They would communicate in a jargon, called “Tarusc”, which they invented so to avoid being understood by laymen. This jargon was a bunch of words taken from the local dialect, German, French and Spanish. Tarusc gave the Lusciàt’s the ability to enrich their jargon with sarcastic made-up words like denciòn (“big teeth”, referring to a lawyer) or brusapignat (“pots burner”, referring to a cook). The umbrella-makers called themselves “Lusciàt” since the Tarusc-word for “rain” was “lüscia”. The term “Tarusc” probably derives from the German verb “tarnen”, which means “to dress up, to blend in”.
However, a local legend says a redheaded gnome called Tarusc used to live in the Vergante area. Tarusc was such a shy person that he would hide himself under the mushrooms. Seeing him do that, the local people understood that they could screen themselves with umbrellas when it rains. Nowadays there is almost no one left who speaks Tarusc, but that does not mean it has disappeared. Tarusc still exists in relatives recollection of their Lusciàt’s ancestors and in Vergante villages, where the Lusciàt and their history are far to be forgotten.
La poesia dei Lusciàt in gergo Tarusc
L’a saludà la ciospa, la crugia e la santùsa
Ha salutato la mamma, la casa e la chiesa
e l’è ficà da lovi per incalmì la musa.
ed è andato lontano per guadagnare la minestra.
Beli pinìn e lòfi, l’a tocc su la barsèla,
Piccolo e mal sagomato, ha preso la sua sacca,
tre lusc, zufà a crèna e gnaca na pisèla.
tre ombrelle prese a prestito e neppure una lira.
[...]
L’à mugià su un po’d bergna, ad lorgna un quaj scivrùlin,
Hanno fatto su un po’ di soldi: qualche bicchierino,
ma an la ment gh’eva semper la stràa da Bruèl.
ma nella mente aveva sempre la strada di Brovello.
L’à ruscà tuta la vita, la cuscenza tamégna,
Ha lavorato tutta la vita, la coscienza buona,
e quand l’è sunà l’ora, l’à tirà dent l’insegna.
e quando è suonata l’ora, ha tirato dentro l’insegna.