Magazine Confluenze | fly fishing experience Number 8 Year 2 | Page 38

To realize how old fly fishing in Italy really
is, we should take a look at the picture of
the altarpiece of the church of Borso del
Grappa in Veneto region , that a local
friend – very fond of Valsesiana fly fishing
– kindly sent to me. These images date
back to 1538! The painter, Jacopo da
Ponte, was very good at matching realistically what he observed in everyday life.
He represented Saint Zeno, patron saint
of the fishers, holding a fishing rod instead of the pastoral staff, to which a
horsehair-made line with three flies is
tied, and on one of them a grayling is
hanging just off the water.

What is particularly striking is that many
details are exactly like those made today!
38 Confluenze Report