Giardinetto Soprarizzo and the Splendor of Conte di Savoia Liner

A refined soprarizzo velvet, whose design resembles a delicate lace, bears witness to the artisanal tradition of handmade Venetian textiles and the history of our country. Let us introduce it to you.

The “Giardinetto” Decorative Pattern

The Giardinetto soprarizzo velvet has an 18th-century-inspired motif in which slender twigs curl and intertwine in a vertical pattern, drawing a lattice within which different flowers alternate in shape and color including thistle flowers, lotus flowers, carnations, irises, and little roses.

Its compositional structure is reminiscent of the ogival meshes typical of the late 16th century but it is executed with the dynamism of late 18th-century compositions and with flowers that echo the Baroque decorative repertoire, resulting in a modern mixture of styles.

This design is part of our historical archive of ornamental motifs which includes more than 3,000 subjects from different historical periods.

Technical Specifications and Colors Available for Giardinetto Soprarizzo

Giardinetto velvet is a soprarizzo, the finest type of velvet in our production. Handwoven on original 18th-century wooden looms, it is a unique and unrepeatable velvet, like all handmade creations. The special feature of soprarizzo velvets is having their pattern made up of different levels of pile: one curly and one cut, smoother and higher. This combination of cut and curly pile gives three-dimensionality and spectacular highlights to the fabric.

Giardinetto soprarizzo velvet is made of pure silk, with a small portion of cotton in the ground weft. The width of each piece is 60 cm while the repeat is about 13 cm. The color offered in our catalog is a delicate multicolor with ivory background, emerald shoots, and flowers alternating in white, mauve and pink.

Since this is a handmade fabric, color customizations are possible upon request to match different interior design projects.

It can be used for curtains, luxury wall hangings, seat and sofa covers, and for cushions. But also for elegant accessories such as bags.

History and Interesting Facts About Giardinetto Soprarizzo Velvet

Giardinetto soprarizzo velvet and Rinascimento soprarizzo velvet are the Bevilacqua fabrics that were used to furnish one of the most luxurious ocean liners in history, the Conte di Savoia.

The history of the Conte di Savoia began in 1930 at the San Marco shipyard in Trieste where, in little more than a year, her 248-meter-long bulk took shape. A behemoth capable of accommodating 3050 people, crew included. A grandiose tonnage, with interiors marked by luxury and splendor.

While the entire structure and all of the ship’s rooms had a contemporary style, the first-class salon, the Colonna Lounge, had an old-fashioned style: in fact, it was a reproduction of the 18th-century Colonna Palace’s Gallery in Rome. Also covering the entire ceiling of the salon was a fresco depicting the Battle of Lepanto, which can still be seen today in the Palace’s Hall of Landscapes. And it was to this lounge that our Tessitura made its contribution, with the luxury Giardinetto and Rinascimento velvets for its upholstery.

The Colonna Lounge resumed a model of luxury known not only in Italy but throughout the world: the fame of its luxury and amusements soon spread worldwide, being preferred over other equally majestic European liners.

The Conte di Savoia became a propaganda tool to publicize, during the seven-day crossing from Italy to New York, the wealth and power of the fascist regime that was ruling at that time. Her maiden voyage on the 28th of October, 1931 was not a matter of chance, since it corresponded to the anniversary of the March on Rome.

However, her life was very short: having made her last voyage in 1940, she returned to Venice, where she was bombed and burned in 1943. The Italian Shipping Line initially thought they could save the liner, but her damages were so severe that her demolition was inevitable. Today, witnesses to the splendor of the Conte di Savoia, we are left with photographs and a short documentary made by the Istituto Luce.

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