{"id":1613,"date":"2025-04-29T07:57:59","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T07:57:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.laviadelborgo.eu\/project\/welcome-you-are-sitting-on-the-food-and-wine-bench\/"},"modified":"2025-07-21T08:46:25","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T08:46:25","slug":"welcome-you-are-sitting-on-the-food-and-wine-bench","status":"publish","type":"project","link":"https:\/\/www.laviadelborgo.eu\/en\/project\/welcome-you-are-sitting-on-the-food-and-wine-bench\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcome! You are sitting on the Food and Wine Bench!"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”2″ make_equal=”on” admin_label=”Riga” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” max_width=”100%” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_css_main_element=”margin: auto;” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_post_title title=”off” meta=”off” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_image=”https:\/\/www.laviadelborgo.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/1_apertura_Figar.jpg” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_post_title][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”|20%|||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”8%|20%|8%||true|false” custom_padding_phone=”14%|10%|14%|10%|true|true” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_css_main_element=”margin: auto;” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_post_title meta=”off” featured_image=”off” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” title_font=”Roboto|700||on|||||” title_font_size=”29px” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_post_title][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]Next to you is the artwork by<\/span> Paolo Figar<\/b>, inspired by <\/span>Gastronomy<\/b> and the<\/span> mastel\u00f9t.<\/span><\/i>. Mustard (mostarda) was a highly prized dish in the Gorizia of the past. It was eaten at Christmas and sold in small containers called <\/span>mastel\u00f9t<\/span><\/i>. Large jars filled with mustard were displayed in the windows of Gorizian shops. You can still admire one at the Provincial Museums of Gorizia. <\/span>
\n<\/span>In this video, the sculptor shares the creative process and the motivations that guided him in creating the artwork.<\/span><\/p>\n

We chose to link this bench to a unique Gorizian figure, about whom little is known\u2014but what we do know fits perfectly with our theme and will almost let you smell the sweetness: the offelliere (pastry chef)<\/span> Giovanni Glessig<\/b>. You can learn about this character through a video inspired by him and discover <\/span>what history has preserved<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

And now, a few words about the <\/span>\u201cNarrating Benches\u201d <\/b>project, created by <\/span>Confcommercio Gorizia <\/b>for the initiative <\/span>Borgo Castello. A thousand years of history at the heart of Europe<\/span><\/i>.<\/span>
\n<\/span>Each of these benches is<\/span> a piece of urban art <\/b>and a precious chest that holds fragments of history, traditions, sounds, colors, and tales from Borgo Castello and the Gorizia region.<\/span>
\n<\/span>Imagine, for a moment, the city as a rich tapestry of threads and hues: each bench represents one motif, chosen for its importance and uniqueness. <\/span>
\n<\/span>The themes? <\/span>History, Nature, Craftsmanship, and Food and Wine<\/b>.<\/span> <\/p>\n

Explore the contents of this page and stroll through the Borgo in search of the other benches!<\/span>
\n<\/span>We recommend walking along Via Rastello and heading up toward the Castle, all the way to the Leopoldina Gate, via Viale Gabriele D\u2019Annunzio.<\/span><\/i>
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#d1d1d1″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ make_equal=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” max_width=”80%” custom_css_main_element=”display: flex;||flex-wrap: wrap;” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_css_main_element_last_edited=”on|phone”][et_pb_video src=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/rm-XP8I9rDU” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_video][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_2_font=”Roboto|700||on|||||” header_2_font_size=”28px” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

The Artist Speaks: Where Inspiration is Born<\/h2>\n

Paolo Figar<\/em><\/h2>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ use_custom_gutter=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” max_width=”100%” custom_css_main_element=”display: flex;||flex-wrap: wrap;” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_css_main_element_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_css_main_element_phone=”order: 2;”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_2_font=”Roboto|700||on|||||” header_2_font_size=”28px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Once Upon a Time: Giovanni Glessig, the offelliere of Via Rastello <\/h2>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

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Giovanni Glessig was an <\/span>offelliere<\/span><\/i>, or pastry chef, who lived in Gorizia between the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Little is known about his life, but his name appears several times in the essay <\/span>Gorizia di altri tempi<\/span> <\/i>by Ranieri Mario Cossar, written in 1934.<\/span>
\n<\/span>He ran his shop at number 6 Via Rastello. Over time, the street numbering has changed considerably, making it difficult today to locate the original position of the shop. <\/span>This street, the commercial heart of Gorizia for centuries, also hosted Glessig\u2019s business, which\u2014according to the accounts and details gathered by Cossar\u2014must have been greatly appreciated for the quality and authenticity of its products.
It is easy to imagine Glessig as a content man, proud of his craft, made even more rewarding by the joy his sweets brought to adults and children alike. <\/span>
\n<\/span>For the feast of Saint Nicholas of Bari, on December 6th, Glessig followed a tradition shared by many other offellieri in Gorizia: he would decorate his shop window with a large, splendid statue of the bearded bishop, which\u2014as Cossar recalls\u2014\u201cattracted the attention of schoolchildren.\u201d
During this festive period, his shop windows became a triumph of treats: plates and trays of wavy glass filled with marrons glac\u00e9s, bars of nougat, whole melons, and other specialties from local tradition. <\/span>
\n<\/span>In spring, he offered pinze and puff-pastry <\/span>offelle <\/span><\/i>with a delicious filling, known as<\/span> gubane<\/span><\/i>, alongside<\/span> presnitz <\/span><\/i>alla goriziana<\/span>, titole <\/span><\/i>(or <\/span>fr\u00e0ris<\/span><\/i>), and sweet colombine. The latter, made from braided dough, held a colored egg in the center\u2014often red or in other hues\u2014and were given to children on Easter Day. <\/span><\/p>\n

Video created using the rotoscope technique by Armando \u201cMiron\u201d Polacco.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Little-known images of the Borgo and its people<\/h2>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” max_width=”100%” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_gallery gallery_ids=”1355,1357,1359,1361,1363,1365,1367,1369,1371,1373″ posts_number=”10″ show_pagination=”off” zoom_icon_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_gallery][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Vintage photos from private collections and from \u201cGorizia a promenade: streets, places, people in postcards from the Mischou collection\u201d<\/p>\n

Gorizia Savings Bank Foundation.<\/em><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#d1d1d1″ custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” max_width=”100%” custom_padding=”3%||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_2_font=”Roboto|700||on|||||” header_2_font_size=”28px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Further Readings and Web Resources<\/h2>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” max_width=”100%” custom_padding=”||3%||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” link_text_color=”gcid-9e8596b8-2447-4eb5-96a7-9f2c16163452″ global_colors_info=”{%22gcid-9e8596b8-2447-4eb5-96a7-9f2c16163452%22:%91%22link_text_color%22%93}”]<\/p>\n

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If you would like to explore the life of Giovanni Glessig in greater depth, below is a curated selection of resources: an overview for those who wish to go further, following the traces of history.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/asa.archiviostudiadriatici.it\/islandora\/object\/libria%3A105187#page\/14\/mode\/2up<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ disabled_on=”off|off|off” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#efe2d0″ width=”100%” max_width=”100%” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_4_font=”Roboto|300|||||||” header_4_font_size=”40px” custom_padding=”1%||1%||true|false” header_4_font_size_tablet=”40px” header_4_font_size_phone=”35px” header_4_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

THE OTHER BENCHES<\/strong><\/h4>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” max_width=”100%” custom_padding=”2px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_de_mach_archive_loop post_type_choose=”project” loop_layout=”94″ filter_update_animation=”load-3″ posts_number=”3″ equal_height=”on” align_last_bottom=”on” columns=”3″ custom_gutter_width=”on” gutter_row_gap=”5px” gutter_row_column=”0px” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_de_mach_archive_loop][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ disabled_on=”on|on|on” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” disabled=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.laviadelborgo.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Locandina_La-Via-del-Borgo_evento-18.07.jpeg” title_text=”Poster_La Via del Borgo_event 18.07″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Next to you is the artwork by Paolo Figar, inspired by Gastronomy and the mastel\u00f9t.. Mustard (mostarda) was a highly prized dish in the Gorizia of the past. It was eaten at Christmas and sold in small containers called mastel\u00f9t. Large jars filled with mustard were displayed in the windows of Gorizian shops. You can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"project_category":[],"project_tag":[],"class_list":["post-1613","project","type-project","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laviadelborgo.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/1613","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laviadelborgo.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laviadelborgo.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/project"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laviadelborgo.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laviadelborgo.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1613"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.laviadelborgo.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/1613\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1628,"href":"https:\/\/www.laviadelborgo.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project\/1613\/revisions\/1628"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laviadelborgo.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.laviadelborgo.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"project_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laviadelborgo.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project_category?post=1613"},{"taxonomy":"project_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.laviadelborgo.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/project_tag?post=1613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}