The most particular thing about the vanvera is its use, it was used to eliminate the noise and smell of farts when one was in the company of other people.
This object has very ancient origins, it was already used in ancient Egypt and ancient Rome, known by the name of “Prallo”, especially during the long lunches of the Pharaohs and Emperors, at the time it had the shape of a ceramic or wooden egg with a small mouthpiece placed near the anus and another hole at the opposite end to let the gas out; it was also possible to place aromatic herbs inside to camouflage the smells.
The vanvera returned to being used in the 1600s especially among the Venetian nobility; two types were created, the “Vanvera da Passeggio” was made of leather and was composed of a cup that adhered to the buttocks, often made to measure, then there was a neck that connected the cup to a bladder, where the gas was stored, at the end a hole closed with a string allowed it to vent when you were isolated. It was placed under skirts or cloaks and used when you were forced to leave the house despite intestinal problems, for example to go to the theater or other social parties; the second was the “Vanvera da Alcova”, similar to the walking one only for the first part, instead of the bladder there was a long tube that in summer ended outside the window, in winter instead it led to another nearby room; it was used especially by men to avoid embarrassing moments during the first night of marriage, where the necessary confidence in the couple to be able to calmly make their own noises was still lacking. Vanvera lost its place in the typical customs of society towards the beginning of the 20th century when the typical clothes of the nobility also changed and, according to some scholars, the Italian saying “parlare a vanvera” derives from this particular object.