The Friulian or Furlane, also called scarpets or papusse in Venice, were the alternative to work clogs
They were Sunday shoes, those of the bride on her wedding day in the mountains and countryside of Friuli in the 1800s where for centuries the women of the family made them using the little they had available, mostly poor and waste materials
The sole was made from old bicycle tires, the internal padding from jute bags used to transport seeds and grains, the uppers were scraps of fabric and scraps of fabric
Each area, if not each family, boasted its own variant but, by tradition, all the Friulians were poor shoes.
Then they arrived in Venice and here they first became the favorite footwear of the gondoliers of the Serenissima, because the non-slip sole allowed them not to damage the paint of their precious boats; then preferred by the nobles, because – so legend has it – they were silent and allowed them to sneak, light and unnoticed, towards the rooms of secret lovers
The centuries have passed, the Friulian style is always the same, the green approach is identical, the craftsmanship unchanged.
The Friulan shoes continue to be sewn by hand, they do not have a right and a left, they conform to the foot that wears them, they can be worn with the heel raised or lowered but they always remain very comfortable.
The fabrics have changed over the years, which today in addition to classic velvet and linen count an infinite range of deluxe materials, the best velvets and brocades, embroidered, decorated or even recycled fabrics but obtained – exclusive and unique pieces – using vintage remnants found in flea markets or even used clothes, jeans and carpets brought by customers to commission their tailor-made Friulian.
In Venice the various shops offer furlane of all colors …red, purple, yellow, pink, blue, green …whatever your choice is, you will take a piece of Venice for a walk around your cities.