Chiara Vigo, one of the last byssus weavers in the world, is sharing her passion and knowledge on this ancient form of weaving with the public at a Magic Box event at the Italian Cultural Institute in Valletta tomorrow.

Byssus is a silky filament secreted by the Pinna nobilis, a very large bivalve mollusc, the largest in the Mediterranean. In fact, it can reach 1.5 metres in length.

Byssus can still be found in the south of Sardinia but, unfortunately, is now in danger of extinction.

It takes several hundred dives to collect a few hundred grams of ‘sea-silk’ that Vigo washes carefully and then spins into thread, a thread which has beautiful golden shades if looked at it in the sunshine.

This craft was known by many ancient populations and is even mentioned in the Bible. Vigo learnt all about it from her grandmother who made her promise to never sell or commercialise the sea-silk in any way.

In 2005, she opened the Museum of Byssus in Sant’ Antioco, a small island just off the south-west coast of Sardinia.

The event will be held at the Italian Cultural Institute in St George Square, Valletta, at 6.30pm. Everybody is welcome and entrance is free.