Tadelakt is a decoration technique that has origins in the Arab world, which is why historically it has never been very widespread and known in the West. Developed mainly in the northern part of Africa by nomadic populations, Tadelakt is still a very popular technique in the Moroccan and Tunisian sphere of influence, where many craftsmen who are dedicated to masonry know at least the basics of the technique, favored by the large availability of lime in the place that makes this technique a jealous secret that the local artisans pass down from generation to generation.
For its inimitable aesthetics, its natural resistance to water and atmospheric agents and its antibacterial function thanks to a high PH, Tadelakt in the last twenty years is having great success in Europe and in the United States where it is used. mainly to create internal and external walls, floors, sinks, shower trays, swimming pools, saunas, fountains and much more.
THE TADELAKT IN EUROPE AND IN THE WORLD
Also for its historical links with the countries of origin of the technique, Tadelakt is in great demand in France (especially in the southern area such as Aquitaine, Occitanie, Côte d’Azur, Rhone-Alpes and Languedoc-Roussillon) which is the European country where it is best known and appreciated. Not less are Belgium and Holland, where also thanks to the connection with France, Tadelakt is a much more widespread decorative technique than other European countries.
Despite the great difference in direct relations with the Arab world, Germany (especially in the Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony, Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia regions) and Austria also have a recent and modern history with Tadelakt being often used to create environments extemporaneous luxury with a warm tone.
In Italy too, attention to this technique is growing and in the last twenty years it has had an exponential growth, in step with the growing attention to green building and sustainability. Unlike what one might believe at first, the request comes mainly from the northern regions (Piedmont, Liguria, Lombardy, Veneto and Tuscany) compared to the southern regions that historically have stronger links with the traditions of North Africa.
THE MASTER: ANTONINO LONGHITANO
Master craftsman Antonino Longhitano, founder of Athena Art and Torino Decor, met the Tadelakt Technique in 2003 in Marrakech, during a traveling trip to Morocco. A technique that immediately fascinated Master Longhitano, known in Italy for being an avant-garde in the use of lime in conservative restoration and interior decoration. In fact, even Turin, with its hills rich in lime stones, has a long tradition with this material that was widely used in the Roman Empire, founders of the city. After years of learning and practice, the master has carried out numerous works using the original Tadelakt technique, thus perfecting the technique in the field. Here you can see his works over the years.
With thirty years of teaching experience in decoration and restoration, in 2009 the Master Longhitano decided to start teaching the Tadelakt Technique not only to professionals in the sector but also to individuals who wish to approach decoration and train the manual skills necessary to create a complex technique like that of Tadelakt. Given the growing interest, the last one of Tadelakt is one of the longest-running and most popular courses of Athena Art and from 2009 to today it has always been present in the programming. Here you can see the history of all Tadelakt courses carried out
HOW DOES THE COURSE WORK?
The course is divided into two days and aims to teach the technical and practical bases to be able to carry out the Tadelakt technique in a practical and independent way. After a short theoretical part that helps to learn more about the materials and tools that will be used, the course focuses on the practice and learning of the techniques, timing and attention necessary to be able to realize the technique directly on plans and walls. Always followed by maestro Longhitano, the course from 2022 has been held in the new Athena Art headquarters, located in Turin, with large internal spaces and a private garden and parking. Here you will find all the information about the course and the venue. Here you can find the complete program of the course on Tadelakt
