Giovanna Fregni
@giovannafregni.bsky.social
Archaeologist, artist, traveler, loves ancient metalworking tools.
Living in Northern Cyprus
Living in Northern Cyprus
This week I wrote about my trip to Bobbio in Italy on Medium. The church there is the most unusual I've ever seen, and is really one for both the art history and architecture books.
#italy #italiantourism #celticchurch #irishchurch #bobbio
#italy #italiantourism #celticchurch #irishchurch #bobbio
Bobbio, The home of an early Irish Saint in Italy
A beautiful village with a surprising history that connects two early Christian traditions
medium.com
August 2, 2025 at 11:56 AM
This week I wrote about my trip to Bobbio in Italy on Medium. The church there is the most unusual I've ever seen, and is really one for both the art history and architecture books.
#italy #italiantourism #celticchurch #irishchurch #bobbio
#italy #italiantourism #celticchurch #irishchurch #bobbio
Vounous is a unique event, combining archaeology and art, bringing researchers, artists, and artisans together to explore ancient craft techniques. It is held every year during the first two weeks of September in Northern Cyprus at the site of a Bronze Age necropolis, and is open to the public.
VOUNOUS 2025 TANITIM
YouTube video by Rauf Ersenal
www.youtube.com
July 31, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Vounous is a unique event, combining archaeology and art, bringing researchers, artists, and artisans together to explore ancient craft techniques. It is held every year during the first two weeks of September in Northern Cyprus at the site of a Bronze Age necropolis, and is open to the public.
This week on Medium I wrote about the first time I went to England to excavate and what I found there.
#archaeology #arbeia #romanbritain #archaeologystories #southshields #archaeologicalexcavation
#archaeology #arbeia #romanbritain #archaeologystories #southshields #archaeologicalexcavation
Arbeia: Stories from a Roman Fort
Travelling through England and Back in Time
medium.com
July 19, 2025 at 7:05 AM
This week on Medium I wrote about the first time I went to England to excavate and what I found there.
#archaeology #arbeia #romanbritain #archaeologystories #southshields #archaeologicalexcavation
#archaeology #arbeia #romanbritain #archaeologystories #southshields #archaeologicalexcavation
Last week I wrote about the various things that are called pickles in the US and UK. It's only when I tried to describe a specific type of pickle that I understood that I wasn't communicating in the way that I thought I was.
#englishlanguage #britishenglish #englishdialect #pickles #preserves
#englishlanguage #britishenglish #englishdialect #pickles #preserves
The Great English Language Divide
It’s not about biscuits or cookies, or even French fries or chips, It’s about pickles!
medium.com
July 11, 2025 at 9:11 AM
Last week I wrote about the various things that are called pickles in the US and UK. It's only when I tried to describe a specific type of pickle that I understood that I wasn't communicating in the way that I thought I was.
#englishlanguage #britishenglish #englishdialect #pickles #preserves
#englishlanguage #britishenglish #englishdialect #pickles #preserves
It seems like ages ago and a far more idealistic time.
#spaceshuttle #NASA #spaceprogram #worldcon #roadtrip #Loscon
#spaceshuttle #NASA #spaceprogram #worldcon #roadtrip #Loscon
The Day I Saw the Space Shuttle Land
The ultimate road trip for a bunch of science fiction fans
medium.com
July 4, 2025 at 9:00 AM
It seems like ages ago and a far more idealistic time.
#spaceshuttle #NASA #spaceprogram #worldcon #roadtrip #Loscon
#spaceshuttle #NASA #spaceprogram #worldcon #roadtrip #Loscon
Last week I wanted to do some fine drawing using a fine steel nib pen. I went to the local art supply store, but they didn't have any. Rather than order one online, I went outside and pick up a crow feather and made myself a very good drawing tool.
#drawingpen #crowquillpen #quillpen #arttools
#drawingpen #crowquillpen #quillpen #arttools
June 29, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Last week I wanted to do some fine drawing using a fine steel nib pen. I went to the local art supply store, but they didn't have any. Rather than order one online, I went outside and pick up a crow feather and made myself a very good drawing tool.
#drawingpen #crowquillpen #quillpen #arttools
#drawingpen #crowquillpen #quillpen #arttools
This is the first in a series of articles I wrote about metalsmiths in mythology and archaeology. I hope you all enjoy it.
Tales of Tools and Myths of Metal
Discovering prehistoric smiths through folklore and material culture
medium.com
June 27, 2025 at 9:12 AM
This is the first in a series of articles I wrote about metalsmiths in mythology and archaeology. I hope you all enjoy it.
It's always bothered me about how generations get labelled and the label is accepted without anyone questioning its validity. Who creates these labels, anyway?
So, I wrote an essay about it.
#labels #stereotypes #generationx #babyboomers #generationy #generation #marketinglabels
So, I wrote an essay about it.
#labels #stereotypes #generationx #babyboomers #generationy #generation #marketinglabels
Pigeonholing Humans: How did we become Generation Whatever?
One thing that annoys me is the blanket naming of generations of people. Who did it and why do we accept being stereotyped?
medium.com
June 21, 2025 at 1:29 PM
It's always bothered me about how generations get labelled and the label is accepted without anyone questioning its validity. Who creates these labels, anyway?
So, I wrote an essay about it.
#labels #stereotypes #generationx #babyboomers #generationy #generation #marketinglabels
So, I wrote an essay about it.
#labels #stereotypes #generationx #babyboomers #generationy #generation #marketinglabels
I've put another article up on Medium. This one is about starting my daily drawing routine. It's a warmup exercise where I do a small piece of a drawing every day.
My Daily Drawing Warmup
How to wake up your hands and connect them to your brain
medium.com
June 13, 2025 at 9:46 AM
I've put another article up on Medium. This one is about starting my daily drawing routine. It's a warmup exercise where I do a small piece of a drawing every day.
I've been writing on Medium lately. It's a kind of a social network for authors.
It's also a giant cash pool. Readers can join for $5/month and the money goes to pay authors.
Here's a sample of one of the more popular articles that I wrote and published on Medium.
medium.com/true-travel-...
It's also a giant cash pool. Readers can join for $5/month and the money goes to pay authors.
Here's a sample of one of the more popular articles that I wrote and published on Medium.
medium.com/true-travel-...
Finding Peace in Italy
Rose gardens and hidden lakes
medium.com
June 8, 2025 at 7:49 AM
I've been writing on Medium lately. It's a kind of a social network for authors.
It's also a giant cash pool. Readers can join for $5/month and the money goes to pay authors.
Here's a sample of one of the more popular articles that I wrote and published on Medium.
medium.com/true-travel-...
It's also a giant cash pool. Readers can join for $5/month and the money goes to pay authors.
Here's a sample of one of the more popular articles that I wrote and published on Medium.
medium.com/true-travel-...
The fields that were recently full of flowers are now full of wild oats. The olive trees are blooming and the pomegranate trees have baby pomegranates swelling at the base of the flowers.
#karaoglanoglu #olivegroves #pomegranatetrees #northerncyprus #easternmediterraneanlife #summerincyprus #cyprus
#karaoglanoglu #olivegroves #pomegranatetrees #northerncyprus #easternmediterraneanlife #summerincyprus #cyprus
May 19, 2025 at 3:30 PM
The fields that were recently full of flowers are now full of wild oats. The olive trees are blooming and the pomegranate trees have baby pomegranates swelling at the base of the flowers.
#karaoglanoglu #olivegroves #pomegranatetrees #northerncyprus #easternmediterraneanlife #summerincyprus #cyprus
#karaoglanoglu #olivegroves #pomegranatetrees #northerncyprus #easternmediterraneanlife #summerincyprus #cyprus
There's more of the Bayeux Tapestry!
Bayeux Tapestry fragment linked to SS project found in Germany
The fragment, found in the estate of textile archaeologist Schlabow, is set to be returned to France this year.
www.jpost.com
March 21, 2025 at 12:03 PM
There's more of the Bayeux Tapestry!
Reposted by Giovanna Fregni
www.turkiyetoday.com/culture/how-...
The Gre Filla site in the upper Tigris Valley, has been under excavation since 2018. Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period layers revealed architectural structures, copper artifacts, and vitrified materials that point to early pyrometallurgical activities.
The Gre Filla site in the upper Tigris Valley, has been under excavation since 2018. Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period layers revealed architectural structures, copper artifacts, and vitrified materials that point to early pyrometallurgical activities.
How Anatolia’s last hunter-gatherers pioneered copper metallurgy 9,000 years ago - Türkiye Today
New findings in Anatolia show that hunter-gatherers were experimenting with copper metallurgy 9,000 years ago, reshaping our understanding of early technology.
www.turkiyetoday.com
March 20, 2025 at 8:57 AM
www.turkiyetoday.com/culture/how-...
The Gre Filla site in the upper Tigris Valley, has been under excavation since 2018. Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period layers revealed architectural structures, copper artifacts, and vitrified materials that point to early pyrometallurgical activities.
The Gre Filla site in the upper Tigris Valley, has been under excavation since 2018. Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period layers revealed architectural structures, copper artifacts, and vitrified materials that point to early pyrometallurgical activities.
In the 60's NASA landed successful missions on the moon using equipment powered by little more than transistors. Today billionaires are littering the Moon with debris from their failed attempts. With all their advanced technology, they can't duplicate the success rate of missions from 60 years ago.
March 8, 2025 at 9:54 AM
In the 60's NASA landed successful missions on the moon using equipment powered by little more than transistors. Today billionaires are littering the Moon with debris from their failed attempts. With all their advanced technology, they can't duplicate the success rate of missions from 60 years ago.
I finished another crocheted blanket square. This time using the second motif. The blanket is coming along nicely.
The pattern is The Sun and the Cross by Svetlana Rogatykh.
The yellow yarn is hand dyed using pomegranate peels.
#crochet #crochetblanket #handcrochet #sunandcross
The pattern is The Sun and the Cross by Svetlana Rogatykh.
The yellow yarn is hand dyed using pomegranate peels.
#crochet #crochetblanket #handcrochet #sunandcross
February 28, 2025 at 8:43 AM
I finished another crocheted blanket square. This time using the second motif. The blanket is coming along nicely.
The pattern is The Sun and the Cross by Svetlana Rogatykh.
The yellow yarn is hand dyed using pomegranate peels.
#crochet #crochetblanket #handcrochet #sunandcross
The pattern is The Sun and the Cross by Svetlana Rogatykh.
The yellow yarn is hand dyed using pomegranate peels.
#crochet #crochetblanket #handcrochet #sunandcross
This is the closest I get to advertising, but I want to give a shout out for my Patreon Page. It’s dedicated to experimental archaeology. Patreon goes to support my work in experimental archaeology. That’s not just writing on Patreon, but also my podcasts and my website, Ancient Tools and Craft.
Get more from Giovanna Fregni on Patreon
creating Archaeological Experiments and Articles
patreon.com
February 24, 2025 at 4:12 PM
This is the closest I get to advertising, but I want to give a shout out for my Patreon Page. It’s dedicated to experimental archaeology. Patreon goes to support my work in experimental archaeology. That’s not just writing on Patreon, but also my podcasts and my website, Ancient Tools and Craft.
Today was pasta making day. I am experimenting because flour is different in every country I've lived in. While the manti I've had here looks the same as tortellini, the pasta is much more glutinous. The flour I used made a very nice elastic dough, so I'm hopeful these will turn out.
February 23, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Today was pasta making day. I am experimenting because flour is different in every country I've lived in. While the manti I've had here looks the same as tortellini, the pasta is much more glutinous. The flour I used made a very nice elastic dough, so I'm hopeful these will turn out.
New Podcast Episode!
This one is about the museum in Fratta Polisine in Italy. It's the oldest known European glassworking site & has amazing exhibits. It's worth visiting, but if you can't get there, I've made a little virtual trip for you.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDNU...
This one is about the museum in Fratta Polisine in Italy. It's the oldest known European glassworking site & has amazing exhibits. It's worth visiting, but if you can't get there, I've made a little virtual trip for you.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDNU...
In Small Things Forgotten Episode 7: The National Archaeological Museum of Fratta Polesine
YouTube video by Giovanna Fregni
www.youtube.com
February 21, 2025 at 4:30 PM
New Podcast Episode!
This one is about the museum in Fratta Polisine in Italy. It's the oldest known European glassworking site & has amazing exhibits. It's worth visiting, but if you can't get there, I've made a little virtual trip for you.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDNU...
This one is about the museum in Fratta Polisine in Italy. It's the oldest known European glassworking site & has amazing exhibits. It's worth visiting, but if you can't get there, I've made a little virtual trip for you.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDNU...
It's been ages since I was at the market and I needed fresh food. There is one stall that made artichokes look like flowers. There's a man who only sells garlic. I also bought winter squash. I plan to make tortelloni filled with squash and walnuts this weekend.
The almond trees are blooming now.
The almond trees are blooming now.
February 20, 2025 at 1:37 PM
It's been ages since I was at the market and I needed fresh food. There is one stall that made artichokes look like flowers. There's a man who only sells garlic. I also bought winter squash. I plan to make tortelloni filled with squash and walnuts this weekend.
The almond trees are blooming now.
The almond trees are blooming now.
A short essay about sharing knowledge up on my Patreon page.
#experimentalarchaeology #sharingknowledge #archaeology #bronzecasting #metalworking
#experimentalarchaeology #sharingknowledge #archaeology #bronzecasting #metalworking
The Joy of Sharing | Giovanna Fregni
Get more from Giovanna Fregni on Patreon
www.patreon.com
February 17, 2025 at 4:39 PM
A short essay about sharing knowledge up on my Patreon page.
#experimentalarchaeology #sharingknowledge #archaeology #bronzecasting #metalworking
#experimentalarchaeology #sharingknowledge #archaeology #bronzecasting #metalworking
Last year I met a shepherd who had tons of sakız sheep wool to give away. Sadly, the wool was clipped very short. Fortunately my cards are making usable roving from the wool. It will not make a soft yarn, but it will be yarn!
#northcyprussheep #chiossheep #sakızsheep #handspinning #cardingwool
#northcyprussheep #chiossheep #sakızsheep #handspinning #cardingwool
February 16, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Last year I met a shepherd who had tons of sakız sheep wool to give away. Sadly, the wool was clipped very short. Fortunately my cards are making usable roving from the wool. It will not make a soft yarn, but it will be yarn!
#northcyprussheep #chiossheep #sakızsheep #handspinning #cardingwool
#northcyprussheep #chiossheep #sakızsheep #handspinning #cardingwool
My trip to Italy in early 2025. I went for the festival of San Geminiano, the patron saint of the city, but also went up to Luca's home and workshop in Polinago. We were up in the mountains casting bronze. Then later I visited my cousin Paolo in Cento.
#modena #sangeminiano #bronzecasting
#modena #sangeminiano #bronzecasting
February 15, 2025 at 2:34 PM
My trip to Italy in early 2025. I went for the festival of San Geminiano, the patron saint of the city, but also went up to Luca's home and workshop in Polinago. We were up in the mountains casting bronze. Then later I visited my cousin Paolo in Cento.
#modena #sangeminiano #bronzecasting
#modena #sangeminiano #bronzecasting
I love this time of year here. While Italy was still in winter, here it is full on spring. It's still chilly in the evenings, but walking outdoors in the day is wonderful.
#northerncyprus #villagelife #karaoglanoglu
#northerncyprus #villagelife #karaoglanoglu
February 15, 2025 at 1:44 PM
I love this time of year here. While Italy was still in winter, here it is full on spring. It's still chilly in the evenings, but walking outdoors in the day is wonderful.
#northerncyprus #villagelife #karaoglanoglu
#northerncyprus #villagelife #karaoglanoglu
The Fish are on Etsy!
I'll be taking them to Italy and shipping them from there. It's a limited time sale while I'm there, so catch your fish while you can!
Each fish is hand made & has a chain to hang or wear as a necklace. I can make it into a pin on request.
www.etsy.com/listing/1863...
I'll be taking them to Italy and shipping them from there. It's a limited time sale while I'm there, so catch your fish while you can!
Each fish is hand made & has a chain to hang or wear as a necklace. I can make it into a pin on request.
www.etsy.com/listing/1863...
January 26, 2025 at 8:55 AM
The Fish are on Etsy!
I'll be taking them to Italy and shipping them from there. It's a limited time sale while I'm there, so catch your fish while you can!
Each fish is hand made & has a chain to hang or wear as a necklace. I can make it into a pin on request.
www.etsy.com/listing/1863...
I'll be taking them to Italy and shipping them from there. It's a limited time sale while I'm there, so catch your fish while you can!
Each fish is hand made & has a chain to hang or wear as a necklace. I can make it into a pin on request.
www.etsy.com/listing/1863...