Reati – nets for carrying the hay

Reati are a kind of net created by hand, once used for harvesting the hay and for carrying it from the fields to the hay barns and today re-discovered by the Lagorai Ecomuseum.

Description

Reati are a kind of net created by hand, knotting a rope to obtain large meshes. The reati maker uses a wooden support, which functions as a handbloom for tightening the rope and facilitating the knot tieing. The rope diameter is usually 0,5 to 1 cm; the rope twisting allows to manufacture a 2m * 2m net, whose meshes measure about 5 centimetres. Once reati were used for harvesting the hay and for carrying it from the fields to the hay barns.

Responsibility

Lagorai Ecomuseum

Role

Reati are an evidence of the past rural life and work procedures, but also an example of craft-related skilfulness and know-how. The know-how and the manual ability necessary to the reati production belong to a fund of knowledge destined to oblivion unless they are handed down by means of practical laboratories and enhanced as part of a cultural context. At present time, by means of this object, the Lagorai Ecomuseum tells and preserves a piece of its community life and history. Local importance.

Potential usability

The Lagorai Ecomuseum re-discovered the by-then forgotten reati-making activity, in this way making it visible to the local people and researchers. By means of a laboratory aiming at the re-discovering of past knowledge, know-how and crafts, the Ecomuseum gave new life to the “reati twisting craft”. Thanks to mr Paolino Campestrin, skilled in this old craft, it was able to hand down a know-how which seemed destined to oblivion.

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