The Artisans

The historic Murano glass furnace Ongaro & Fuga was founded in 1952 by Franco Fuga and his wife Tullia Ongaro,two Murano glass masters descended from a long line of prominent glassmaking families whose names were added to the Book of Murano in 1600. Presently run by their sons Giuliano and Francesco, the company is renowned worldwide for its Venetian-style glass mirrors created exclusively by hand using a perfect balance of modern and traditional techniques. The furnace also creates custom pieces in collaboration with international designers and artists to suit all decors.

Over a hundred years ago, in 1902, grandfather Pampaloni founded a workshop that would become one of the most prestigious silver factories in Florence, just a short walk from Palazzo Vecchio. Their difficult labor still achieves impressive results, thanks to innovative design and traditional techniques coupled with the skilled hands of Gianfranco and Francesco Pampaloni and their busy machines. Like their ancestors, they respect machines, maintaining that "handmade" is not better per se. Artisans achieve their best when coupling their skilled hands with the aid of machines.

Florentine Paola Staccioli is a ceramist with unique artistic abilities, maybe inspired by her literature studies. She decided to dedicate herself to pottery after some experiences within applied arts, in particular batik and glass. She creates clay objects that support decorative and pictorial elements using the luster technique. The results are unique, impossible to replicate even by the artisan herself. Her works featured in exhibitions in Japan, Germany, France, as well as notable Florentine institutions including the Uffizi Museum (2012) and Palazzo Pitti (2010).

Pagliai is a Florentine family bottega now in its third generation. This historic silversmith workshop has in fact been open since the 1950s, when it was founded by Orlando Pagliai in the basement of a famous convent. Later, the atelier moved to the current location in the Oltrarno, where many other historical silversmiths work. The perfection of Pagliai's production has earned international recognition since the 1960s, when Tiffany & Co. commissioned Orlando Pagliai the production of different silver pieces, some of which are still reproduced and are on offer here.

“First came the egg!” Mario Bottiglieri was born in 1964 in Naples. After starting a degree in Architecture, he quit it to pursue his two major passions, design and Naples, in a more practical way. Expressive and conceptual, Bottiglieri is a well-established interior designer. Mario experiments with furniture and decorative objects blending Neapolitan traditions and a contemporary concepts and style. His work is now a reference when it comes to home décor, the EGG being the signature object of his artistic creations.

A story of excellence in hand-decorated ceramics: Laboratorio Paravicini interprets high Italian craftsmanship tradition by reinterpreting its language in a contemporary key. The result is a variety of collections of plates and tableware with distinct characteristics, the development of careful research and experimentation, and an innate ability to evolve. It has become a reference point for an increasingly demanding international audience seeking quality and refinement over 30 years. Each piece is shaped and hand-decorated from thin white earthenware.

Bottega d’Arte Gatti Ceramica prides itself on its permanent search for innovative techniques and design, proved by a splendid collection. When Riccardo Gatti founded it in 1928, he was already a celebrated ceramist in Faenza, because of his skilled hand. But his talent was recognized also on a national level, as he exhibited in major establishments as the Milan Triennale, the Ceramics Museum in Faenza, and the Venice Biennale. Today, Ceramica Gatti continues to handcraft beautiful pieces on the wake of its founder and the centuries-long ceramic tradition of Faenza.

A true passion for the craft is behind the unique lines and aesthetic of the ceramics by I Borbone di Capodimonte. Capodimonte is a hill in the heart of Naples where, in 1739, King Charles II founded the Royal Ceramics Factory beside his palace. Today the workshop is lead by Antonio Fullin Mollica, who followed the footsteps of his father and grandfather. The uniqueness and perfection of Capodimonte's creations have also been proved by auctions at Sotheby's and Christie's.

Marco Castorina is the heir of an ancient family of carvers, a reference for the prestigious Florence wood artisan guild since 1895. His careful work and research led the shop to be considered unique in its field, becoming a landmark for architects and interior designers, with more than 5.000 items in continuous evolution. The knowledge of the Castorina family is handed down from father to son since the beginning of their activity to safeguard the Florentine heritage.

Galleria Romanelli is one of the oldest sculpture studios still active in the world, having been founded in 1860. Its incredible building is set in the Oltrarno, the artistic heart of Florence, and originally belonged to Lorenzo Bartolini, a great Italian sculptors of the 19th century. Sculptures made by several generations of the Romanelli family have, since long, been acknowledged worldwide. Today, the Gallery keeps catering for art lovers, collectors, and designers looking for unique artworks, thanks to a team of skilled sculptors lead by Raffaello Romanelli.

The traditional Tuscan passion for ceramics goes back for generations in the Ceccarelli family. This genuine passion emerges through the raw material shaping it into expertly-modeled and prestigious ceramics. The Ceccarelli ceramists like to say that the result is the witness of their efforts. Indeed, the typical irregularities distinctive of manual labour, together with the complexity of the finishes, obtained in 10 different manufacturing steps, are at the core of their distinctive style.

Established after the end of WW II, Fratelli Lisi is a family-owned silversmith workshop in Florence. Lisi artistic silver pieces are defined in particular by their realistic quality as well as a flair for nature and wild life, although usually retaining also a functional value. Fratelli Lisi's handmade silverware is a repeated playful exercise of exceptional true-to-life detailing. This attitude derives from the origins of the workshop: in a time of need and mass production, the Lisi brothers were among the first to develop unique objects and techniques.

Tuscan artisan Bianco Bianchi has been making unique pieces using the refined scagliola technique since the 1960s. Well-known for his Medusa-head table made to order for the renowned Miami mansion of fashion designer Gianni Versace, Bianco Bianchi's marble works decorate the world's most beautiful homes. Bianco Bianchi's children, Alessandro and Elisabetta, now continue on the family tradition by translating century-old techniques into both classic and modern-inspired objects.

Antonino Sciortino, versatile Sicilian artist, infuses a minimalist baroque style into his metalwork, amalgamating the ethereal inspiration of dance with the maritime influence of his hometown of Bagheria. As a child, he learnt the technique of ironworking at his brother's workshop, but his love for dance pushed him to pursue a career in television, in Rome, where he became a dancer. The call of manual art returned in 2003, when he moved to Milan where, supported by the “Compagnia del Giardino,” he opened his own workshop.