ISTOS is the pilot project of the “Scuola di Calascio per il perfezionamento della tessitura, lane e fibre vegetali autoctone”, born as part of the cultural, social and economic regeneration project of the town of Calascio, “Rocca Calascio Luce d'Abruzzo”, financed with PNRR M1C3 MISURA 2 funds “RIGENERAZIONE DI PICCOLI SITI CULTURALI, PATRIMONIO CULTURALE, RELIGIOSO E RURALE” - INVESTIMENTO 2.1. “ATTRATTIVITÀ DEI BORGHI STORICI” CUP I24H22000520001.

The ISTÓS project - School of Calascio for Advanced Weaving, Wools and Native Plant Fibers aims to create a productive cultural school that promotes the processing of wool from native sheep breeds as a local, sustainable and valuable material, contributing to the regeneration and economic and social development of the Abruzzo region.

The training is aimed at creatives, artisans, designers, artists, curators, restorers, costume designers, set designers, teachers and researchers, with the aim of developing an advanced training centre that promotes and disseminates sustainable practices in production processes and the recognition and protection of local resources. 

Promoted by FONDAZIONE ARTE DELLA SETA LISIO [www.fondazionelisio.org] together with local organisations such as CHIU TESSITURA [www.instagram.com/chiu_tessitura] and LAMANTERA [www.lamantera.com], the IUNO contemporary arts research centre [https://iunoiuno.it] and the SOLIDO knitwear studio [www.instagram.com/sldknit], the school offers an educational programme consisting of specialised courses, artist residencies and experiential workshops.

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12-17 May 2025 | Natural Dyeing, Valentina Ferrarini

16-21 February 2026 | Mountain Knitwear: Contemporary Designs with Abruzzo Wools and Vintage Machines

23-28 March | The Value of Heritage Rural Garments: Contemporary Tailoring with Handwoven Fabrics

04-09 May 2026 | Color, Composition, Natural Resist Dyeing

11-23 May 2026 | Technologies for Circular Fashion

08-13 June 2026 | Historical Garment 1890-1895: Analysis and Construction

15-20 June 2026 | Folk Weaving Techniques

22-27 June 2026 | Folk Weaving Reinterpreted in an Artistic-Contemporary Key

May 2025 | Il giorno della taranta: Upcycling Abruzzo Blankets, Fade Out Label

May 2025 | Pescatori di olive: Upcycling Olive Harvest Nets, Fade Out Label

February 2026 | Visible Mending

March 2026 | Denim reassembled, Fade Out Label

April 2026 | Art Screenprinting, Daniel Tummolillo

April 2026 | Collective Embroidery, Sara Basta

May 2026 | Creating a Shawl with Nuno Felting, Diamantina Palacios

May 2026 | The Art of Traditional Cushions, azienda Semmiflex

June 2026 | Historical Garment Restoration, Concita Vadalà 

July 2026 | Weaving for Children, Adele Olivieri

July 2026 | Decorative Felting: Creative Repurposing of Old Wool Clothes & Textiles, Benedetta Morucci 

21 June 2026 | Weaving Tradition

28 June 2026 | The Women's House of Amatrice

June 15-27, 2026 | Creation of a textile artwork and Exhibition of the Work at MAXXI L'Aquila

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 As part of the project, ISTOS organises a residency programme for artist interested in a dialogue between art and textile. Our goal is to offer a space for experimentation, knowledge exchange and the expansion of artistic practice through interaction with the traditions of weaving and textile production. We invite:

• Artists who are already working with weaving and can enrich the educational process by participating in workshops and sharing their experiences
• Artists who do not use weaving directly, but are interested in exploring its possibilities in order to expand their own visual and poetic practice.

The residency is by invitation only and coincides with the summer two week courses. It includes a public talk and a presentation of the work of the artist in collaboration with art institutions in the area of L’Aquila.

Elena Baistrocchi, Fondazione Arte della Seta Lisio, Firenze

Valeria Befani, Chiu Tessitura, Calascio (AQ)

Benedetta Morucci, Lamantera, Anversa degli Abruzzi (AQ)

Cecilia Canziani e Ilaria Gianni, Iuno, Roma

Matteo Barra Gardiner, Solido, Tivoli (RM)

Katia Maratea, Fondazione Arte della Seta Lisio
Benedetta Morucci, Lamantera