A Treasure Trove of Italian Ceramics
Our friends at Ciao Bella Italy (www.ciaobellaitaly.com) offer an extensive selection of authentic Italian ceramics and pottery from all regions of Italy. From small gifts and dinnerware, to fountains and urns, Ciao Bella has something beautiful for everyone. Below is a sampling of their hundreds of belle cose; visit them today online or if you [...]
Artes: A Tradition of Fine Italian Weaving
The Garfagnana, a mountainous region in northwest Tuscany, has long been home to a rich tradition of handweaving. In the 1950’s, Anna Pedri urged a group of fellow handweavers in the area to combine their talents and their looms in order to promote and protect their craft. So a weaving “cooperative” was born and over several years the group grew to 80 members. This group became the company known as Artes – Artigianato Tessile (textile handcraft) – becoming one of the first and most prestigious Italian companies run by women.
Simone Taddei: Maestro of Florence
An Italian artisan of the first order, Simone Taddei is the third generation of a family business dedicated to producing exquisite leather articles completely by hand. Taddei’s talent and perfectionism is exceeded only by his warmth and graciousness. Simone’s workshop on Via Santa Margherita, a stone’s throw from Florence’s famous Piazza Signoria, smells of leather and wood and like all places of great creativity, is enchantingly messy and atmospheric.
Albizzi, Florence: Artists of Classical Italian Lighting
Since 1960, the Albizzi family has been creating extraordinary reproductions of antique chandeliers, lamps and sconces in their workshop near the Piazza Santo Spirito in Florence. Inspired by classical Italian style, their designs are appropriate for more formal settings, whether estate homes, hotels, museums or palaces.
Biscottini, La Rosa di Terricciola (Tuscany)
If you love flea markets, antique stores, reclaimed materials and salvage yards, you will swoon over Biscottini.
Off of highway SS439 between Volterra and Pisa, Biscottini offers everything from statuary, fountains, marble basins, and old gates to fine antiques, mirrors, lighting and decorative items. Prices vary widely, but great deals can be found at BIscottini. So if your dream is to have an authentic Tuscan villa gate at your driveway entrance, or an over-the-top Italian statue in your garden, get yourself to Biscottini on your next trip to Tuscany. Their main store is in La Rosa di Terricciola (encompassing an impressive 3000 meters) with smaller outlets in Sarzana, Grosseto and Florence.