«Making glasses» is an activity that has become part of the life of
Cadore and, besides being a way to make a living is better defined as a
way to live. It is when a man's activity becomes custom, culture, history,
which is the case with «making glasses» in Cadore, for more than one
hundred years, calling for respect, attention and, above all, care in
remembering so as to preserve the most important aspects for future
generations. It was probably this aspect that made me think about a
Museum for spectacles in Cadore: a way to give proof of the work done
by those who have gone before us, to collect all what we're doing now to
hand down to the future generations so they can use it as a base to work
on for improvement and development.
But why a Museum and why does
it have to be Cadore? Cadore, after more than a century of nothingness
that began with the fall of the Republic of Venice, is the geographical
spot where the spectacle industry was reborn in 1878 and it evolved until
it reached today's modern industrial complexes which are among the
most important at world level. However, regardless of the importance of
this industry for economy and the society of Cadore, there has never
been, until today, a collection of documentary evidence of glasses and
correction means that represents the history of that area and its people.
Just how did the idea of opening a Museum come about? I have always
been an avid collector of antiques, I love doing it and it gives me a
feeling of continuity; on the historical premises where my company was
born, there is already one of the largest and most complete collections
of glasses, optical instruments, antique and rare writings on the subject.
But the idea of a public collection fascinated me, something that could
be done together.
The chance came when I heard that my Belgian friend,
Georges Bodart, was selling his spectacle collection. The Bodart
collection is renowned as being one of the most interesting of its kind,
so this was truly a unique occasion. At the beginning of 1986 the Bodart
collection finally arrived in Italy, the nucleus of the spectacle Museum.
What are the prospects of such an enterprise?
Being vital, part of the
working reality, one and the same with the social fabric, positive from a
cultural point of view and it mainly has an educational and preparatory
role for the youngsters.
It is my intention that the Museum should not be
limited to a «dead» collection bu it should be a dynamic moment, a
centre of initiatives, a group of activities. This is the only wayw together
with the cooperation of those who have helped and supported me in this
enterprise, that the Museum will become an important moment in
the cultural life of Cadore and, above all, evidence of our work and the work
of those who have gone before us.
One way to talk about «our roots».
