Damigiana / Demijohn CRAZED Americans
(This ones for you Natalie!)
The Italians think we are crazy. Pazzi!
Shaking his head, the Italian man with the plump belly glued to his lawn chair inquired one day: Why do you English people keep coming around and getting these jars?!? I tried to explain how these big bottles are well-liked by Amerians. Sono carini. They are cute, pretty. He wasn't convinced, so said the shrug of his shoulder, knod of his head and under-turned mouth shaped with ambivalence.
It didn't matter. I'd rather he keep thinking such.
No, I didn't reveal the entire picture. I didn't dare tell him that Americans have gone cooky over them and spend their days hunting them down. No way was I going to mention the outrageous prices Pottery Barn charges for them (upwards of several hundred dollars so I hear) - not that he'd recognize the ubiquitous American home-decorating store. I'd never confess that a friend in California practically had to fight people off them when she offered them for sale. It would be unthinkable to personally upset the balance on the little damigiani market in the little towns radiating out from Napoli. The big man's innocent ignorance - and the giant mountain like pyramid of perched jars - have both been a good source for reasonably priced damigiani, thank you very much.
(Thanks Jodi for the lead!)
Whether you call them damigiana (Italian), or demijohns (French? British?) or carboys (home brewers), they're still just glass vats with a long-standing, practical purpose: to store liquids. According to Italian Wikipedia and to common knowledge here, the jugs are primarly used for storing what I call "landlord" wine - the homemade wine many locals or small farms make each wine season. Wikipedia says one damigiana will serve a family for about a month, no mention of the size of the vat or the family!
Traditionally the oversized glass bottles were wrapped in chestnut-wood wicker or other easily shaped materials like rope. Today, plastic replaces the traditional materials (surprised?!) rendering the jars far less charming and picturesque when in the basket. Cheaper and faster is the modern day industry's theme song it seems. The plastic basket is however still faithful to its traditional purpose: protecting the relatively thin glassed jars during transporation and storage.
But form has usurped function in the eyes of the American beholders.
We don't care what they are used for, honestly. (Though the contents - wine - is also a heady pursuit of most of living abroad in Italy.) We just love the darn bottles, the way the colored glasses filter the light, and for some, their chase is additive.
But beware: there is a catch in the stalking of these common place jars. If you wish to find them for free - FREE being the key term here, this word that seems to somehow up the ante and thrill of pursuit for many - you will find yourself doing quite a bit of dumpster diving, trash pile pecking and erratic driving when you spot one.
Free vats are often found abandoned along roads, emptied and tossed by families off-loading them as trash. Their ambiance is intact: they come complete with leftover wine scum and the last of the dregs. All I can see is a drunk in my mind, though Italians actually rarely drink excessively. Anyway, ever smelled stale wine? Yup, you get it. The tossed bottles stink! Load them up in your vehicle and the smell intensifies, like a drunk sweating on a hot day. And say a little prayer that you don't end up in a accident on the crazy streets of Naples: these glass jars if shattered have the potential to cause serious harm.
Oh yeah, to enjoy thier beauty you have to clean them, which is no small feat. (The local hardware stores sell long special scrub brushes to ease the task. Soaking them in the sun also helps break-up the glazed on grape scum.) A lot of work? Yeahhhhhh. But *FREE*
The rumor mills spins that there is a small group of ladies at the military base that go out daily to check their GPS-marked spots for the lastest toss-offs. They check their rear view mirrors for unwanted tag-alongs. Some people are gathering them and shipping them back to the States where I hear they command high prices (100 bucks or more), easily off-setting the shipping costs. When I arrived three years ago, I specifically remember seeing only one house at the military base with a few green jars on the porch. A quick drive through base housing today will reveal countless balconies lined with them, some stacked two-levels high. The hard-to-pronounce word seems to be on the lips of everyone.
Some damigiana are coveted more than others. A pecking order of prestige considers age (older is better), how it is made (handmade vs. manufactured), color (green is just so-done!) and shape (anything unusual). Throw in some antique rope or the original wicker wrapping and the jar can sky-rocket in terms of desirability. The antiques community seems to be tapped into the buzz and prices can be higher at places like the world-famous once-monthly Arezzo market in Tuscany; but that also may be the only place to find an unusual damigiana. Hand-blown jugs command the highest prices, but only if the owner knows their desirability. They can be quite beautiful.
Even untrained eyes can discern the differences between mass-produced and hand-blown jugs. An easily visible seam or crease line runs up jars that are factory made whereas the handmade don't have a seam, are slightly irregular in shape and feature more bubbles trapped in the glass. They just look more desirable.
The craze has also spilled over into large-mouthed olive jars, a personal preference of mine. I typically find them new for anywhere from 6 to 12 euro ($8-16) depending on size. Filled with a few river rocks and topped by a white pillar, they become an attractive centerpiece on a patio table.
Other people are starting to monopolize on this fad too.
Luigi and Ciro, the local brothers and iron-men that serve the American community have enterprised by offering iron accoutrements: iron stands for the large jugs, hooks to hang candles within, and intricately designed open-weave tops that balance on top. The prices on their demigiani seem to have increased right along with the number of people following this fad.
A local American artist offers classes teaching people how to paint the jars with trailing grape vines or blooming flowers. Her works are gorgeous and command high prices. Her classes also teach just about anyone - no artistic talent needed - how to decorate olive jars with hand-painted lemons transforming the simple jar into the most original lemonade server and Italian souvenir.
A local demigiani store near the military base has also jacked-up his prices in response. People are particularly drawn to his steady supply of unusual colors such as bright red or bright yellow. I am partial to more mellow and traditional colors like smoky gray, coca-cola bottle green, light blue, or my coveted turquoise-ish-green bottle that will forever remind me of the waters along the gorgeous Amalfi Coast. Some friends fall for amber, another uncommon shade with an neutral-organic feel.
Has the spell been cast on you?
People either like 'em or don't. Some go hesitantly into the jar habit and find themselves hypnotized. I've witnessed women almost lose friendships over these darn jars! Just the simple fact that so many American women (yeah, that's all I've seen hunting them down) have gone nuts is starting to become a bit of a turn-off for others. Have this story of these jars jumped the shark?
Like most things I do in life, I fall into the camp of moderation on these enchanting jars. (Believe it or not, 9 large ones, 2 small ones, 2 large olive jars, and 1 medium is pretty moderate! I doubt Natalie will agree!). A little here (in the window), a little there (in the garden), but I ain't about to re-arrange my life or wallet over them!
A few more tid-bits, if you're hooked:
I personally don't hunt for free ones anymore. I accidentally gained a few that way, but the clean-up job is simply no fun. The few I have were either gifted to me (thank you Jodi, Stefani, and Claudia!) or purchased for about 12-18 euro for clean ones. Most agricultural supply stores keep bottles on hand. They stock-up in the fall during the grape and olive harvests. Don't rid yourself of the unattractive plastic baskets new ones come with (another bonus to a new one). The basket will be handy when you move.
Below is Italian Wikipedia's alleged story behind the bottle's name (Google-translated, so not perfect): The origin of the name seems to be French "dame-jeanne" (in Italian "Lady Joan") should be reported to the Queen Giovanna I of Naples (Giovanna d'Anjou).
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at 10:13AM | 7 Comments | Tags: Italian Ways, Italy, Living Abroad, Military Life, What to buy, Wine 
Reader Comments (7)
Great post, I also have a love for these green glass demi johns and have featured some of the ways I have used them on my own blog! We were lucky enough to inherit a cellar full when we moved house, although yes most of them were still full of very old wine so cleaning them out was not an easy task.
LIVING IN THE BOOT: Oh my a cellar full!!! Wow! I can't imagine that many! Thanks for your comment
OK you've convinced me -- I have to get at least one! Great article. Natalie
LIVING IN THE BOOT: too funny! join the crowd, right? ;0)
This was a great post. I don't know if people outside of Naples, and the military community in particular, can understand the obsession. There is an obsession, no doubt. But they are beautiful bottles. I have only a few myself, but I am still fairly new here. :)
LIVING IN THE BOOT: My bet is that your collection continues to grow! Thanks for your feedback.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful experience from Naples, Italy. I have to agree with you 100% that this hobby is very addictive. I started this new hobby on August 2010 and I collected over 100 bottles three months in all sizes and shapes. I've been giving away to my friends almost half of them, and I still to continue to find more. My old hobby back in the states was fishing, but I'm very happy to have this one. Everytime I spot a bottle, It gives me an excitment, jut like catching a big kig macro.
Even if there are seams in the bottle...Aren't these also at least 50 years old...Young by Italian standards I know.
I'm not alone!!! I admit it! I am addicted to damigiane(right? Plural for damigiana?) I live in Florence, Italy and caught the obsession after seeing some beautiful, green, shapely vases in my friend's yard! She said she finds them by the trash bins. I searched for 3 months and never found one! They are hard to come by. I have looked throught the Chianti region, knocked on strangers' doors, and finally found an enoteca that sold some. I have 2 large, 1 medium and 1 small. But I NEED more! Is there therapy for this?
Thanks for the information...I enjoyed reading your blog.
We too have found 7 large, 1 medium, 3 smalls, 1 a little smaller. Just a quick note...we did have one break when pouring out the rinse water...maybe the suction was too much. BE CAREFUL! A friend said the seamless seem to break easier...When cleaning them out I used hot water with a little bleach and let it soak 5 minutes or so. Then put in a cup of popcorn Kernals...swish swish and they scrub the scum away. That works for me pretty easy. Thanks again for your blog.