+5 The Blue Gold of Urbino
The Blue Gold of Urbino
The Blue Gold of Urbino
It is chilly that early June morning as Alessandra Ubaldi—a short dark-haired woman dressed in navy blue from head to toe—walks quickly down the steep hill of Via Giuseppe Mazzini to open up her store, Guado, for the day. Inside, her bold red lipstick pops against a sea of blue: Everything in the shop—cabinets, shelves, pure pigment, clothing accessories, scarves, soap, hats, costume jewelry, and frames—are all the soft blue of the ancient dye from which the shop takes its name.
Ubaldi settles into her seat, takes a deep breath, and thinks back to why she started this business in the first place. “I started this business mainly because it’s connected to this territory,” she says. Urbino was one of the centers for making the blue dye Italians call guado. Ubaldi discovered the blue pigment dye, which is made from the woad plant, around 30 years ago while studying painting at the arts academy in Urbino. “When I first came across guado, I instantly loved the theme and it has stayed in my heart ever since,” Ubaldi says with joy. At last, 30 years after Ubaldi first encountered the peaceful blue color of guado, she now lives her passion that she always dreamed of.
Before 1200, the only dye colors that were generally available for clothing were red, yellow, or black. Around 1200, Queen Bianca di Castiglia of France brought the expensive gaudo dye from the woad plant into style. Because of the complex process of acquiring the dye from the woad plant, anyone who was seen wearing the blue color was known to be wealthy. This “status symbol” lasted in Europe until 1600. As evidence of the high status of this sky-blue color, there is a painting located inside Urbino’s Ducal Palace by Piero della Francesca titled, Madonna of Senigallia. This painting includes an angel wearing blue to represent its importance during that time period. This angel is now on the cover of the Guado shop’s brochure.
The ancient process for making the dye began with the harvesting of the woad plant leaves, which were then placed between millstones. Next, the leaves were ground between the millstones with water. The millstone wheels had particular cuts on them, made specifically for grinding the leaves. After the grinding was completed, the mash that was produced was packaged into little balls called cockaignes. Many cultivators created these balls to sell to the dyers, which was profitable for cultivators. The cockaigne was then left to steep in urine and vinegar to activate the substance. Specifically, the ammonia in the urine and vinegar triggered the substance. The dye was now ready to use. Florence and Venice were major centers for the woad industry in Renaissance Italy, and millstones used in the making of guado have been found around Urbino. Around 1600, indigo began to be imported from India, a much cheaper source of blue coloring than woad. Indigo gained lots of popularity and the making of guado became a lost art.
Before opening Guado, Ubaldi worked in the art restoration field, painted, and ran a bed and breakfast just outside Urbino. She has an artistic background and has worked with interior designers and architects. Ubaldi followed her husband to nearby Lunano where he was working. During this time she had a child and didn’t feel comfortable finding a full time job, therefore she simply continued with design. But there was always a thought in her mind about coming back to Urbino. When this thought turned into a reality, the idea of starting up something “old but new” came to her—the idea of a shop that would sell products dyed in guado. But Ubaldi’s idea was only a fantasy until she met others to help her pursue her passion.
“When I first came across guado, I instantly loved the theme and it has stayed in my heart ever since,” says Ubaldi.
Two years ago, Ubaldi met a tailor named Cristina (who doesn’t want her last name used) while looking for cloth at a shop. Cristina runs the tailor company called Condor. Ubaldi and Cristina stayed in touch and Cristina is now the tailor for Guado, making Ubaldi anything she desires including scarves, shirts, and dresses. “I decide what to make for Guado based on which products Guado sells the most,” Cristina says.
Ubaldi first met Massimo Baldini while Baldini was working as a tour guide. Baldini was already knowledgeable in the production of natural colors, but didn’t have anything to do with making the guado dye at this point in time. “I became very passionate about the production of natural colors and decided to start my own business,” Baldini says. Ubaldi reached out to Baldini, hoping to gain more information on guado. She was in luck—Baldini filled in the empty holes of everything she was unsure of. Baldini now lives in Jesi and makes the guado himself, using an updated method, to sell to Ubaldi for her shop.
Around this same time, Ubaldi decided to contact farmer Lara Gambini because she knew that Gambini’s family has a woad field. Gambini filled Ubaldi in on everything it takes to have a woad field. Gambini became the supplier of the woad cockaignes that Baldini uses to make the dye for Ubaldi.
Ubaldi now had everything that it took to fulfill her fantasy, and decided to open up the shop Guado about a year ago.
While walking past Guado, the shop grabs attention because of all the merchandise Ubaldi puts outside—bags, pins, and more. Inside, there are historical paintings related to the dye scattered throughout the store, which help show the customer the importance of the color. There are jars full of cockaignes and pigment placed on blue shelves. Guado sells a variety of products including dresses, hats, scarves, jewelry, plates, soap, pure pigment, and more. “The scarf is our most popular item sold,” Ubaldi says. The light blue scarf is the perfect fashion statement to spice up any simple outfit. Guado mainly attracts tourists, and Ubaldi wanted to have many different products for tourists to pick from.
This past February, Ubaldi was contacted by Gambini and Baldini with a new project, which was to establish their own woad field. Ubaldi couldn’t have been happier because this is exactly what she was wishing for two years ago. Ubaldi, Baldini, and Gambini are currently hard at work on their woad field project. Ubaldi’s dream is finally coming together and she couldn’t be happier that she is doing what she loves most. “Since the woad plant is from this area,” says Gambini, “it will most likely become a tourist attraction and it will center around the production of the attractive blue gold.”
Translation of interviews and other language assistance by University of Urbino students and graduates Antonia Perreca, Bianca Sartini, Lisa Oliva, and Silvia Malagoli. This article also appears in Urbino Now magazine’s Arte e Cultura section. You can read all the magazine articles in print by ordering a copy from MagCloud.
