Gennaro Angelini, known as ‘Talacia’ (1872/1874–1956), was an extraordinary figure in the rural tradition of Romagna: a semi-illiterate farmer, with only a second-year primary school education, who worked the fields of San Martino in Riparotta (a hamlet of Rimini) and devoted decades of his life to the the creation of a unique masterpiece of its kind.
Despite having absolutely no formal technical training, Angelini conceived and created, over a period of more than thirty years, a large astronomical clock made of wood and recycled materials, which reached impressive dimensions and served as a machine for b in all its forms.
A handcrafted “time machine”
The watch, several metres long, was built piece by piece using makeshift materials: wood, coat hangers, bicycle chains, ropes, bits of tin and other scrap materials.
Hanging from the ceiling of the barn Next to Talacia’s house, the mechanism was fitted with more dials which were not limited to hours and minutes but showed days, weeks, months, seasons and years — including leap years — phases of the moon, constellations and time cycles, some of which are very long.
Some accounts mention dials with extremely detailed markings and even a cluster of chimes and bells that marked the passing of time.
La charge The clock’s operation was entrusted to a external counterweight system: a large tile suspended from a rope and a pulley, which, by gravity, caused the pulleys and gears to move slowly. Winding it up took about eight days and involved manually lifting the weight, winding the rope back onto the inner pulley.
Talacia used to say, half-jokingly, that she hoped for immortality:
I hope that God will be with me and grant me immortality, so that when it runs out of power, I can come and recharge it.
Life, Ingenuity and Recognition
The self-taught Gennaro Angelini did not confine himself to building the clock: his keen mind led him to invent other agricultural tools and machines useful to farm life, such as spinning frames, rakes and automatic wine presses.
His work attracted attention even during his lifetime; the clock was mentioned in local news reports and — according to some accounts — featured in a documentary by the Istituto Luce, arousing amazement at the complexity of a mechanism created without any drawings or technical studies.
From oblivion to preservation
When she died, the clock stopped working and remained hanging in the barn for several years. It was later taken down by one of Talacia’s granddaughters, restored and kept at her home in Rieti.
Thanks to the efforts of Father Danilo Manduchi, parish priest of San Martino in Riparotta, and the support of scholars from the Museum of the Customs and Traditions of the People of Romagna in Santarcangelo di Romagna, The clock was returned to its original location and put on display in the sacristy of the parish church, carefully preserved and displayed to the public.
Ownership of the artefact has been donated to the Ethnographic Museum of Santarcangelo, whose director has ensured that it will remain on site free of charge; however, the mechanism is currently not in working order, given the complete lack of detailed technical documentation
