Maybe not everyone knows that the “Galateo overo de’ costumi,” once a famous book and nowadays a set of rules referring to good manners, was written in 1558 by Monsignor Giovanni della Casa, right in the lands of Prosecco, specifically in the ancient abbey of Nervesa della Battaglia close to Treviso. Since the sixteenth century, that treatise has come a long way, enriching itself along the journey with many nuances and conventions that have influenced and shaped the world and western culture.
A Matter of Good Manners
Time goes by, and the word “galateo” has become synonymous with “etiquette,” that dates back to the Old French “estiquier/estiquer” meaning “to affix, attach,” and with the addition of the diminutive suffix “-etta,” it takes the meaning of “little attached thing.” In the past, it was a bulletin that was daily affixed at the most important European courts, indicating a ritual driven by strict rules of behaviour. Today, this “little attached thing” can be found, among other places, on bottles, like the ones of Prosecco DOC, and represents the wine’s identity card: the set of “rules” that make it unique and unrepeatable.
But Let’s Return to Etiquette
More than 450 years have passed since the publication of “Galateo”, and its principles today represent a style and behavioural trend for many. Some examples?
A man in a queue lets an old lady go first. Two people shake hands politely. A man asks “may I?” before entering an office. A conductor greets the first violin. A nurse helps a patient in finding a seat in the waiting room and brings him a glass of water. A person listens carefully to another. At the theatre, you see the spectators turning their mobile phones off. A guest hands a box of candies to the hostess. A boy pulls a chair closer to the table for his girlfriend. A friend raises his glass to the sky and, extending his arm in the direction of the birthday boy, toasts with a Prosecco DOC.
A Moment of Lightness that Doesn’t Forget Good Manners
A family lunch, a dinner with colleagues, a quick aperitif with friends, a romantic dinner, a ceremony… Unforgettable events that we can impress upon the memory through a TOAST with Prosecco DOC.
The toast is the pinnacle of convivial moments which, according to etiquette, has its own rules, and it is good to know them, especially if you are toasting in formal contexts and beyond. Small gestures that tell a lot about us and our way of being, ranging from choosing the wine to how we hold the glass, but also what we say and how. Let’s go step by step: after choosing a bottle of Prosecco DOC, we have to open it carefully and discreetly, avoiding to make a “pop”. Then, after pouring the wine into a glass, always held by the stem, we are ready to dedicate a thought and a wish to those toasting with us. Avoid “cin cin,” a jocular expression derived from the Chinese “ch’ing ch’ing,” meaning “please, please.” Another thing to avoid is clinking glasses, in order not to create too much noise, just a look will be enough! Appearance? No… etiquette.
Etiquette, a Video Project that Tells a Lifestyle
Following bon ton, being polite, having good manners, demonstrating GOOD MANNERS: etiquette is all of this. A lifestyle handed down from the past that the Consorzio del Prosecco DOC has decided to celebrate with a video, curated by director and image philosopher Carlo Guttadauro. Thus, ETIQUETTE is born, a playlist of moments, gestures, and looks, a mise en scène on etiquette with the irreplaceable Prosecco DOC as the main actor, reminding the viewer that “there is an etiquette that goes beyond the label“… and when the curtain falls, elegance and etiquette follow us, along with a good glass of Prosecco DOC!
