Italian fireworks - General set-up of a display

[Vavoom]

Here's something I've been wanting to post here for quite a while. It's a copy of a post on Italian fireworks that I wrote some years ago for my friends of the biggest (dutch) fireworkswebsite called Freakpyromaniacs (a.k.k. Pyrofan).
Hoping that all of you have "recuperated" from your celebrations for the 4th of July and again have the time and energy to read my little text :)

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The text below is a translation of information found in several Italian books. An idea I have had for a long time in order to make it easier for others to learn and appreciate the wonderful Italian techniques and craftsmanship. The information is far from complete and deals with general subjects as terminology, types of shells and the general set-up of a typical Italian (nighttime) display. The names and terminology presented are in common use throughout Italy, but depending on the region of Italy other names and terminology may be used.

General setup of a typical Italian (nighttime) display:

A typical Italian display has to be loud and powerfull (Forza Italia!). That’s why Italian shells have a loud break which projects the stars over a wide area. The break is almost too powerfull for the stars to ignite. Some shells are filled with (tiny) inserts that either contain stars or a flash composition. The individual salutes and inserts that are being used are extremely loud (especially when being compared to their Chinese brothers of equal size). An Italian display is sort of like a heavy locomotive that is accelerating to it’s maximum speed and sound.

http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/7242/fig_20.gif
Figure 5: Several completed shells

Below is a general chronological order in which shells are mostly fired in a classical italian (nighttime) display:

Bomba da Tiro: multi-break shell (individually fired during the start (“apertura”) of the display)
Bomba a spacco e lampi (or Bombetelle): shell with coloured bouquet and small salutes
Effect (e.g. crossette): shell with bouquet
Bomba a spacco e botta: shell with coloured bouquet and loud salute
Effect (e.g. blinker): shell with bouquet
Bomba con stelle a botta: shell with coloured stars to salute
Bomba a spacco (con controcolpo): shell with bouquet (and bottomshot)
Effect (e.g. crackling, pioggia bianca): shell with bouquet
Bomba a farfalle (con controcolpo): shell with farfalle bouquet (and bottomshot)
Effect (e.g. kamuro): shell with bouquet
Bomba scala a otto (con contrabomba): shell with rapidly, but very precisely timed, “botti”
Fermata: two-break shell (intrecci to controbomba)
Gaponiesta: big calibre spherical shells with symetrical bouquet (this part of the display is called “giapponesata”)
Stutata: shell of shells, often fired in rapid succession one after the other. Not before all shells have broken will the first shell show its effect. Based on the amount of “stutate” this rapid firing is called “tre per tre”, “quattro per quattro” or “cinque per cinque”. Higher, like “nove per nove”, is possible, but very rarely seen.
Fermata: three- or four-break shell (intrecci to contrabombe)
Finale (generally five parts): Principio, Variazioni, Inferno, Stretta and Chiusura
1 – Principio (Beginning): launching of “sbracatelle”: single break shells with lots of “colpetti” (and some coloured stars) to give a continuous cadence.
2 – Variazioni (Variation): launching of various shells like scala 5, 8, 16, 21, riprese to controcolpo, intrecci to controcolpo or controbomba, stutata.
3 – Inferno (Mayhem): the launching of shells with “colpetti” becomes faster and faster to a maximum.
4 – Stretta (Stretta): launching of big calibre shells with three to four breaks from various positions ever going faster.
5 – Chiusura (Closing): launching of one volley of salutes.

The finale has to be a steadily growing roar of thunders (going crescendo). It should never loose its tempo and impact. This is mainly achieved by good timing with “spolette” and time fuses. Timing strongly affects daylight displays, because the rhythm of the sound (and smoke) is the only effect. In nighttime displays there is some margin due to colour effects. However, also in nighttime displays timing is very important.

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Literature:
Fuochi Pirotecnici – L’arte e i segreti, Francesco Nicassio, Levante Editori, Bari, 1999
Pirotecnia Moderna, F. di Maio, Hoepli, Milano, 1891
Fuochi Artificiali, T. de Francesco, G. Lavagnolo, Torino, 1960

[displayfireworks1]

Excellent post, thank you. I have an older Italian friend here is United States that will really enjoy reading some of this. Here in United States during the 1950 and 1960’s this language may have been common with fireworks technicians. When my older Italian friend tells me stories from back in the day he uses some of these terms. He has some old video when he would help with fireworks for Italian religious celebration I keep trying to get from him so I can post.

[PyroJoeNEPA]

Great reading. Thanks for an informative post.

[Vavoom]

Excellent post, thank you. I have an older Italian friend here is United States that will really enjoy reading some of this. Here in United States during the 1950 and 1960’s this language may have been common with fireworks technicians. When my older Italian friend tells me stories from back in the day he uses some of these terms. He has some old video when he would help with fireworks for Italian religious celebration I keep trying to get from him so I can post.

So, now you finally understand what your friend is talking about ;)
It wouldn't surprise me if some of these terms are still in use nowadays in American companies. Being that some companies have an Italian background and that "recipes" were (and still are) handed down from father to son.
By the way, I can't help starting to wonder what part of Italy your friend originally comes from. It could very well be it's a region I frequently visit :)
Now you also got me interested in his videos.

Thanks for the response. I'm glad to hear people like my 3 posts. Although I could cut&paste the text from my previous posts on another forum, it still took me quite some time to manage it. The appreciation makes the effort worthwhile :)

[PyroJoeNEPA]

So, now you finally understand what your friend is talking about ;)
It wouldn't surprise me if some of these terms are still in use nowadays in American companies
The FARFALLE or "Butterfly" is a term still commonly used here in the USA...my favorite effect.

[Vavoom]

The FARFALLE or "Butterfly" is a term still commonly used here in the USA...my favorite effect.

The Farfalle effect is an excellent choice. It's high on my list of favourites as well. I'm wondering if any of the other terms in my "terminology-post" are also still in use. Of course, you all know "spolette", but what about the others? Like "passafuoco" and "cannoli".

[PyroJoeNEPA]

Stutata: shell of shells, often fired in rapid succession one after the other. Not before all shells have broken will the first shell show its effect. Based on the amount of “stutate” this rapid firing is called “tre per tre”, “quattro per quattro” or “cinque per cinque”. Higher, like “nove per nove”, is possible, but very rarely seen.

If I understand the technique of this--would it be three shells with three breaks each, four shells with four breaks each, five shells with five breaks each, nine shells with nine breaks each??---all fired & timed so the last shell is in the air when the first shell breaks--making a "wave" or "sweeping" effect in the sky?

[Vavoom]

Stutata: shell of shells, often fired in rapid succession one after the other. Not before all shells have broken will the first shell show its effect. Based on the amount of “stutate” this rapid firing is called “tre per tre”, “quattro per quattro” or “cinque per cinque”. Higher, like “nove per nove”, is possible, but very rarely seen.

If I understand the technique of this--would it be three shells with three breaks each, four shells with four breaks each, five shells with five breaks each, nine shells with nine breaks each??---all fired & timed so the last shell is in the air when the first shell breaks--making a "wave" or "sweeping" effect in the sky?



It's actually a little different...less complicated though :)

A so called "stutata" (plural="stutate") is a one-break shell. As opposed to a multi-break shell, which has two or more breaks. The international version of a stutata is commonly known as a shell-of-shells. Both stutata and a shell-of-shells are one-break shells that spread dozens of smaller shells, which later explode simultaneously.

As to the firing of "stutate" as "tre per tre" up to "nove per nove" it refers to the amount of one-break shells that are being fired in rapid succession instead of the amount of breaks of the shells (which is always one-break because it's a stutata).

The trick is that upon breaking, it takes about 3 seconds for the inserts to explode. So for firing "tre per tre" you'll need to fire 3 stutate at one second intervals (which is relatively easy). This to make sure that the third shell has already broken before the inserts of the first shell explode. This will give you three volleys of effects.

To fire "nove per nove" you'll need to fire a shell every third of a second. Keep in mind that delays between each shell are made with spolettes. So in order to do a "nove per nove" you'll seriously need to master your spolette making :) To me this is true craftsmenship!

With the introduction of digital firing systems and the need for "bigger, better, faster" I have noticed a change in traditional set-up of displays (starting about four years ago). In bigger displays you'll now see "dodici per dodici" fired from three positions simultaneously. So it's 36 stutate fired within 3 seconds. Which for me is too much, a waste of material (overlapping effects) and a loss of tradition.

What you describe is also done sometimes: firing multi-breaks with increasing amount of the numbers of breaks. This has no typical name, however.
Another thing...I have also seen multi-breaks of up to 7 breaks, where none of the inserts would explode before the 7th break broke. Instead all inserts of all 7 breaks would break simultaneously. Again...a masterpiece of timing! :)


Here's an example of one stutata:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4tuzB5bKgc

In this movie you can see a "tre per tre" at 14:53 (not perfectly fired though):
Note: The entire display is worth watching by the way :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXRlg1WYzO4

[Vavoom]

You'll probably like this movie of a factory visit by friends of mine as well:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=LvrsCd7Fj6g

[Vavoom]

And another example of "tre per tre" in an evening display.
To be seen at 08:41 and 08:55.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrGF31H9IGI

[pistolus]

awesome stuff.. thanks for posting these videos..

[pyros]

Regarding terminology - in companies with an Italian origin in the US I've heard quite a bit of this, either original or own variations of a term that come with time, as is the case in Italy too. With my friends in New Jersey, there are for example "Farfalle", "Serpentelli" and "Pupatelle" as inserts for break-shells. "Saettine" is a thing I've not heard in Italy so far, meaning salute inserts, which would be, depending on the type, "Rendini", "Tronetti" or simply "Lampi"

[laquil]

Ciao e salute a tuta Italaiani

From this video there are some of my work enjoy it Ciao from Malta and Bocca a lupo.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9R6gDt81HSw

[displayfireworks1]

Laquil

Very enjoyable video, you just do not see these types of fireworks in United States. We also never see daytime fireworks to this extent either. Half way through the video, I was thinking how this would look at night and then the video started into the night display. If someone would try to import those shells into United States, what would their classification be? Would they carry the 1.1 or 1.3 classification?
The shells at the 5:43 and 10:00 minute mark look like Lampare. The ones at 5:43 are single firings. How are you shooting the flame effect starting at 10:00, is this done with flights of shells? It almost looks like a cake firing.
I know you speak English very well; I will sometimes translate my post in Maltese for the benefit of someone from Malta that may be viewing the forums. From what I know of Malta, English and Maltese are two of the predominate languages. If the data is correct, it gives the language breakdown as Maltese 90% and English 6%. The forum is very lucky you are in the 6%.
Dave displayfireworks1
.
.
Video ħafna pjaċevoli, inti biss ma tarax dawn it-tipi ta 'logħob tan-nar fl-Istati Uniti. Aħna wkoll qatt ma tara logħob tan-nar bi nhar għal dan il-punt lanqas. Nofs triq permezz tal-video, I kienet taħseb kif dan se tħares lejn lejl u mbagħad il-video beda fil-wiri bil-lejl. Jekk xi ħadd se jipprova biex jimportaw dawk qxur fis Istati Uniti, dak li l-klassifikazzjoni tagħhom tkun? Would huma jwettqu l-1.1 jew 1.3 klassifikazzjoni? Il-qxur fil-05:43 u 10:00 ħarsa minuta bħal Lampare. Dawk fil 5:43 huma firings wieħed. Kif inti isparar l-effett fjamma jibda 10:00, hija din isir bit-titjiriet ta 'qxur? Huwa kważi qisu isparar kejk. Naf li inti jitkellmu bl-Ingliż tajjeb ħafna; I se kultant tittraduċi kariga tiegħi bil-Malti għall-benefiċċju ta 'xi ħadd minn Malta li jistgħu jiġu viewing-fora. Minn dak li naf 'Malta, Ingliż u Malti huma tnejn mill-ilsna jippredominaw. Jekk id-data hija korretta, dan jagħti l-analiżi lingwa bħala Maltin 90% u 6% bl-Ingliż. Il-forum huwa ħafna xxurtjati inti fil-6%.

[displayfireworks1]

So, now you finally understand what your friend is talking about ;)
It wouldn't surprise me if some of these terms are still in use nowadays in American companies. Being that some companies have an Italian background and that "recipes" were (and still are) handed down from father to son.
By the way, I can't help starting to wonder what part of Italy your friend originally comes from. It could very well be it's a region I frequently visit :)
Now you also got me interested in his videos.

Thanks for the response. I'm glad to hear people like my 3 posts. Although I could cut&paste the text from my previous posts on another forum, it still took me quite some time to manage it. The appreciation makes the effort worthwhile :)

To Vavoom

To answer your question about my older Italian friend. He traces his family roots to Arpino Italy.

[laquil]

Dave,

Thank you for your comments let me explain a bit, i hope it want take long but i have to find the proper words in English.

To import those fireworks to USA i have to check with some friends of mine to see how when they have exported some fireworks and what classifications were,

having said all that, those fireworks are build up from parts, i thing the best way to do it, we can see if we can import the (beraq) because the rest every one can do it every one can make a cylinder and place the beraq inside it with some black powder in the middle,

In Malta each village and town in summer mostly cut two or three towns they all celebrate there feast in summer every week from May till November each week there will be 1 to 3 feast going on, the day time fireworks the most of it it will be fired from 6:30 pm on wards till 8:30 pm sun down first we start
with the we call it (Kaxxa Nfernali Spanjola) then we fire those you are seeing in the videos the multi shell
and those were my skills are after 9:00 pm we have an other (Beraq) for the night colors and withe ones then we we start with some colored cylinder ones and finally a small show of 30 minutes with Music and we end up with a Salute of called (Lampium) a special recipe that make the bomb at night looks yellowish and greenish or reddish. All our fireworks recipe in the old days they were coming from Sicily then
we kept passing on from father to Son and we modify accordingly, it is not difficult as you think to make them if some show you how you will start to make thousands of them but for sure they will come better if you do them by hand, in Beraq you have to have perfect timing it is like any body's shell what makes them beauty is the timing i have experiment for long years what i don't understand your question is

( How are you shooting the flame effect starting at 10:00, is this done with flights of shells? It almost looks like a cake firing. )

We place the beraq and the stars in the same cylinder but as i have explained we coat the starts
with a mixture of black powder and a delay ingredient, and the beraq with the (murzajtura)
in other post I have placed pictures and some information

Dave let me tell you some thing, this is for every one, If I will find a sponsor, i will try to do all
my possible to export some fire works to USA but we have to start working on them now next
4th of July you will make a huge fireworks display, but in the next following months i will open a thread how to make some ground fireworks were it is easy to do and for sure every one will love it

thanks for your support i am very please that you have excepted me on your forum

one last thing I would like to setup with your help a seminar for all the users that use this forums may be we chose a place and we can meet up to discuss fireworks and we take it from there

MAY BE YOU LIKE THE IDEA

[laquil]

HI Dave

Please find down below the Beraq at night how they look like


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Rn8IqjTycA

[laquil]

enjoy from Malta


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKQwc3YFsu8&feature=relmfu

[PyroJoeNEPA]

Thanks for the very detailed explanation and the excellent video clips. I have seen the Vaccalluzzo Factory clip before but can watch it many times. I have to laugh every time I see the gentleman tamping the inside of the shell by standing up on top of the table so he can reach it. That is a shell!!!!
I've also seen on YouTube a clip of a Horsetail shell that Vaccalluzzo makes that is a gold horsetail with a silver [Titanium perhaps?] glitter tailing streamer as it descends. Most Beautiful!!!!!

[laquil]

Extensive newsclip of coverage of the Symposium by Maltese television. I am
afraid it is in Maltese, but with comments in English from John Bouman of
Walt Disney, Donna Grucci of Fireworks by Grucci, Paul Csukssay of the
Montreal Competition, Fred Wade ISF.

Please still watch it and see some display



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl9dI9k7P-g&feature=player_embedded#t=54s

[Vavoom]

I've also seen on YouTube a clip of a Horsetail shell that Vaccalluzzo makes that is a gold horsetail with a silver [Titanium perhaps?] glitter tailing streamer as it descends. Most Beautiful!!!!!

This is probably the clip you were thinking of :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYNh26cblxc

[PyroJoeNEPA]

Yes, that is the clip I was talking about. My project for the winter months this year is to be able to make a horsetail in a smaller diameter shell 3" or 4" maximum. So far I have not perfected the technique, but I spoke to a "Master" shell builder at a recent Pyro Club event & he gave me some tips on what I was doing wrong and how to get the shell to break properly. It is always wonderful to have someone share their knowledge with you.

[Vavoom]

Yes, that is the clip I was talking about. My project for the winter months this year is to be able to make a horsetail in a smaller diameter shell 3" or 4" maximum. So far I have not perfected the technique, but I spoke to a "Master" shell builder at a recent Pyro Club event & he gave me some tips on what I was doing wrong and how to get the shell to break properly. It is always wonderful to have someone share their knowledge with you.

Absolutely true! Shared knowledge is sometimes worth gold :)
It can take you months, years or even decades to get something to work. And sometimes you'll never manage to get something to work (perfectly), just because you missed one little detail. To me that's part of what makes building fireworks a craftsmenship or even an art.

[Vavoom]

Very enjoyable video, you just do not see these types of fireworks in United States. <snip> If someone would try to import those shells into United States, what would their classification be? Would they carry the 1.1 or 1.3 classification?

Going a little off topic here (drifting from Italian fireworks to Maltese), but to answer your question...the maltese beraq shells will absolutely be 1.1 G (or should be at least). As to their colour shells, I'm in doubt.


The shells at the 5:43 and 10:00 minute mark look like Lampare. The ones at 5:43 are single firings. How are you shooting the flame effect starting at 10:00, is this done with flights of shells? It almost looks like a cake firing.

The shells you're referring to are made with gas containers instead of liquid fuel, so officially they aren't lampares....but they still look, feel and sound good :)
I don't know what you mean with "flights of shells". These shells are all fired individually with their own cue in rapid succession.

[Vavoom]

To Vavoom

To answer your question about my older Italian friend. He traces his family roots to Arpino Italy.

Aha! Nice to know. Going from north to south that's approximately where the good (southern) region for fireworks starts :) Unfortunately, Arpino witnessed a terrible accident in a local fireworks factory in 2011 in which six people died :(

[PyroJoeNEPA]

I don't know what you mean with "flights of shells". These shells are all fired individually with their own cue in rapid succession.
Here in the USA we use the term "flights" to identify shells fused together--typically three [identical] shells with the quick match ends connected together in a "bucket" with an e-match or fuse--one ignition sets all three shells into "flight". Commonly used in a "Left-Center-Right" configuration where the racks are angled slightly apart for the right-left spread in the sky...instead of shooting the same shells from three locations.

[Vavoom]

Here in the USA we use the term "flights" to identify shells fused together--typically three [identical] shells with the quick match ends connected together in a "bucket" with an e-match or fuse--one ignition sets all three shells into "flight". Commonly used in a "Left-Center-Right" configuration where the racks are angled slightly apart for the right-left spread in the sky...instead of shooting the same shells from three locations.

Thanks for clearing that up. It's a technique we also use in NL. Setting up mortar racks in V-shape or W-shape to get a nice spread in the sky. Shells will then either be linked with quickmatch across racks and one delaychain running along one side of the construction OR with two or three individual but identical delaychains parallel to each of the racks in the construction. Advantage of the latter is that, in case of a failure in the delaychain, only one rack will stop firing instead of the entire V- or W-shape. The projection in the sky, however, is "ruined".

By the way, for W-shape I prefer the middle one to be fired one/two seconds before/after the outer two in order to get a more playfull display.

Anyway, in this particular case (firing of Maltese "lampare" shells), it wasn't a "flight of shells".