And in fact gardens, plants and nature have always been a source of inspiration for Maria Flora, who has been reproducing them in ceramics for years. She discovered ceramics as a hobby when she was a young girl and later fell in love with the craft. A devoted artisan, she believes that clay is a wonderful material that not only gives freedom of expression but also teaches the importance of control and patience. It takes hours of work at the potter’s wheel, skilled fingers and a good dose of enthusiasm to produce something beautiful from a piece of clay.

As you enter the small studio, the pots on the shelves, the ceramic jars, the colourful clay figures, the brushes and other modelling tools covered in clay, together with the earthy scent of clay, create a unique and uplifting atmosphere. Watching clay being transformed in the hands of skilled masters is indeed, as Maria Flora says, hypnotic and therapeutic.

Passing on this fine art is an everlasting goal for Maria Flora and meeting Luisa helped her to realise it.

Luisa met Maria Flora in 2014, working with children in one of Rome’s middle schools. The two immediately bonded over their passion for ceramics and many other interests, including a love for cats. Sharing their experiences and helping each other learn more about their craft, Luisa and Maria Flora developed a meaningful friendship, which eventually led them to found a pottery association as they began teaching pottery to students after class.

In 2016, the association actively participated in many public activities on behalf of the school. The artisans began exhibiting their creative works in various art exhibitions.

“If you decide to begin such a difficult path, deep down you know that your aim is to create your own brand. One day or the other.”

For Silvia, it was a matter of understanding which specific type of fashion or item she wanted to create. It happened to be bags.

Speaking about her professional training, Silvia shares her best memories: “I did my internship in one of the most prestigious Italian ateliers. It was the dream factory. Members of staff used to work wearing white gowns, everything was pristine.”

It was there, becoming aware of the absolute care for each item, that she understood what brings true value to a product, what makes it special.

She deepened her knowledge of fashion management working on style and product development, focusing on luxury items. An exceptional tutor was key to her professional career.

What prompted Silvia to create “Delphina Burró”?

The pandemic acted as a catalyst for a process which was already taking shape.. lockdowns, as for most of us, pushed Silvia to dedicate her free time trying to launch her brand. Silvia turned all the challenges upside down, transforming them into an opportunity. “I saw a sort of generational gap. Let’s be honest, nobody wants to risk this kind of business. Especially the young generations!”

Instead of letting her dream go, Silvia saw it is a shame to lose this opportunity and she was clearly motivated to create a product proudly Italian. This means looking for the best materials and creating straightforward designs, able to speak to anyone. The cassetta shape, for instance, is evergreen, able to persist through all the fashion seasons.

Delphina Burró embodies luxury items that can last in time and can be used and passed on through generations. Just as “the bags that our grandmothers used to have, spotless and sturdy as they had never been worn.”

What was the biggest challenge in launching her own business in 2020?

“Starting during Covid was difficult, but seeing the final product is the greatest pride of all. Having the confidence that the result will come out exactly as you wished for,” she said.

The work is complex and made of several parts: drawing, creating templates, searching for raw materials and visiting industry fairs. She also looks after all the necessary technical preparations the leather needs.

Speaking about the future, her plan is to broaden her collection and to present a new catalogue soon, including additional accessories.

Why are Legatoria’s creations unique? Koiné offers 100% Italian materials, techniques and manual processing. All their products are produced in Italy, in Santa Croce sull’Arno, to mention one of the most well-known locations dedicated to the leather industry in Italy. Laura, Legatoria Koiné’s Sales Representative, knows the company in and out and she tells me more about the production process. What does it mean to carry out manual processing only, in the 21^st century?

Since the process is made by hand from the very beginning to the end, there are pros and cons to consider, Laura explains. “Of course, the central paper block comes from the factory, but afterwards the process is completely made by hand,” she waves her hands in front of me. As a result, production can be time-consuming and attention to detail is key to creating an impeccable artisanal product.

“Of course, the manufacturing is lengthy and often we have to fight against a system where everything is available right on the spot.” Going through all the necessary steps takes time, glue needs time to dry and they “would never risk sending a notebook unglued!”, Laura adds, almost horrified by this thought. Nevertheless, the market grew very quickly and it includes wholesale retailers and individual clients all over the world. Depending on the complexity of the work, an order can be fulfilled in 2/3 days.

The clientele is extremely varied, from religious to military groups to passionate writers and painters. But Laura has no doubt that Koiné’s products are not for everyone. One thing is sure, Koiné is for people who love to feel emotionally connected to an object, who are looking forward to developing a special relationship with their books, as if they could somehow represent their personality and keep their dreams. Legatoria Koiné’s creations are also products of a sentimental nature: journals, photographic books, music notebooks and much more. Every item can adapt to its owner. Hearing Laura talking brings me back to when I was a teenager to the time when computers were not so widespread and smartphones didn’t even exist. Writing in my journals on a daily basis, I would easily lose count of the pages. I am pleased to know there are still writers who enjoy the feeling of (quite literally) having a white page in front of them and perhaps use an elegant shiny fountain pen to fill it with their memories.

Throughout her career, Laura has been part of all sorts of projects involving Koiné’s creations. Some have written the story of their family  and others have filled the pages with photos, to make sure not to forget anyone behind the years. Many clients don’t want to keep their photos on their mobile phone only. “Photography should be an experience, to cherish through years and decades across generations”, says Laura.

I strongly believe that photographic books become an integral part of the family’s history. Who hasn’t searched for distant relatives or dogged in old family albums to find that picture of grandma as a young girl working in a factory or a headshot of their parents from University? When I was a kid I liked carrying around with me a heavy leather book that used to belong to my mother’s family, asking lots of questions: “Who is this one?,” I would say pointing my index finger to a black and white portrait photo.

When the global health crisis hit, Caterina, who was already working as a flower designer, decided to take a risk and launched her own line of artisanal products online. Being from Puglia, the southern region of sunshine and beautiful local art, the collection included only a few kind of items and she was collaborating mainly with local artigiani. Then things started to expand and she felt her collection could grow and get a wider scope, involving more artists and types of products.

Growing an independent business necessarily involves more admin and paperwork. “At one point my creative soul was feeling constrained, but I was not going to surrender to the heavy bureaucracy.” Thanks to the help of her partner, Caterina could fully dedicate to her artistic self.

So, Caterina started out her boutique with only a couple of different pieces and then began to add other creations to her collection. Clearly, she loves flowers and this is her main theme: from decorative dried flowers, to hair pins and cloches, all her designs and accessories are infused with a romantic bohemian feeling.

For Caterina the creative process is essential. She works with the artisans collaborating to her project from day one until the final product is ready. Caterina says it is helpful if the artisan shares the same creative idea of the item, so it is a shared effort to realise what they exactly have in mind. This was the case with the artisan who creates the resin garden coasters, “she was also so passionate with flowers,” shares with enthusiasm. Alchemy is essential to turn ideas into reality. This is why ”the artisans I collaborate with are my secret treasures, they are real people with their stories.”

Sara Amrhein’s background is in Fine Arts and art history, something that really comes across in her careful attention to detail, form and color in each of her pieces. While she graduated as a painter and has often worked in collage, when the American artist found herself in a teeny tiny apartment in Florence, there was quite simply no room for grand canvasses and mountains of art supplies.

One day she came across some colorful polymer clay in a local craft store and what started as an experiment turned into a passion. “In my collages, I used paper stickers, and jewels – they were always decorative and colorful – and I think this translated easily into jewelry,” she said. What started as mini flower sculptures soon became brooches, earrings, and statement necklaces as fine arts blended with fashion. “I love color, pattern, and texture, and mixing them all together,” she says. And certainly, one great benefit of polymer clay is no matter how layered and intricate the design, each piece remains light as a feather.

From the jewel tones of a Renaissance painting and the texture of a Florentine tapestry, it’s clear that her work is influenced by Florence, but her pieces have a fresh, modern edge to them too. Traditionally, Florence might be known for its jewelry in gold, silver or precious stones but it’s also on the forefront of Italy’s artisan scene and, as Sara says, “polymer clay is having a moment (even more so because of the lockdowns),” making it the perfect place to develop something new and noteworthy.

Sara had opened a shop in the center of Florence at the beginning of 2020 but the first lockdown caused her to close her doors heartbreakingly soon after opening. While her plans for a shopfront might have been put on hold, polymer clay became even more popular as the world turned to the indoors and crafting. Business has continued online and this last year, Sara was featured on Season one of Meet your Makers Showdown on Discovery+ which did an entire episode on Polymer clay creations!

“Come in, come in,” crackles his voice over the intercom and I step into a large, cool hall, heading back to the courtyard, adorned with ferns and a few gardening tools. Through the windows, barred as so many around Florence are, I make out the shadowy interior of a workshop. Giuliano greets me at the doorway, beckoning me into his studio past a small sticker on the window proclaiming this the site of: Esercizi Storici Fiorentini (Historical Artisans of Florence).

Within seconds, I’m holding gleaming gold bracelets, shining silver earrings, elegant picture frames, whimsical dishes, figurines, charms – a veritable trove of little treasures. I recognize some potpourri holders sold in a historical shop on the other side of Florence.

“Not those ones,” he says with a smile, “those are only for them, I don’t sell them myself.” Of course. The business cards with famous names I find taped to the side of the desk are a memory but not a crowning accomplishment. The studio unfolds like a labyrinth. After all, Giuliano has been here for decades. Most of his life. It does not reveal itslef like a carefully curated atelier but like the true workspace it is with spaces cleared in the center of tables where he elaborates his pieces, flanked by piles of golden shells, dolphins, thin handled spoons, rings with the Florentine fleur-de-lis.

He takes me downstairs and shows me how he fits a strip of brass over a mold before running it between two large rollers. In one side goes a bronze plate, out the other comes a strip embossed with leaves and flowers. “And then?” I ask. “Then you make this into whatever you want,” he says. “Cover it in gold. Cover it in silver. As you prefer.” He’s been doing this for 60 years, he can turn metal into whatever he dreams. This leafy strip could be molded around one of the many tools found throughout the studio to make a circular napkin holder, a paperweight, a picture frame. He might cut out pieces or engrave a further design, dip it or paint it in gold or silver or embellish it in colorful enamel.

Back up the stairs, we talk about his craft, but he’s unlike younger artisans who know how to weave together their story from first inspiration to training to apprenticeship to mastery to fame. He doesn’t come from the generation of personal advertising and social media. “I’ve always done this,” he says. “This is my life.” In the 1960s he entered the studio of Carlo Cecchi to begin learning the craft and for years worked alongside other artisans in this shop. Sadly he adds, “I’m the only one left here now. There were some apprentices but they come for a short time only and I show them what I know.” Just visiting for a few months to learn from a master before returning home. Like so many crafts in Florence, there is no longer the desire (or perhaps ability) to spend years learning a trade that you’ll practice for a lifetime.

The pair of friends founded Lumina in 2014 after being introduced by a mutual teacher from their prior art history education and have found themselves tied together ever since. The bond that the former art historians have forged translates into an ethereal collection of unique jewelry pieces that mirror the natural landscape of Italy and beyond. Each piece is handcrafted in the heart of Rome, where the pair have resided for their entire lives. Each piece is handcrafted in the heart of Rome, in the historic neighborhood of Monteverde Vecchio. 

The studio is one of the only jewelers in Italy that welcomes outsiders. Historically, crafts in Italy have been closely guarded family secrets, passed from one generation to  the next. Like troves of treasure, the mysteries of Italian specialty products – such as jewelry, leather, and ceramics – have only been available to those lucky enough to inherit them.

But in today’s rapidly changing world, Lumina recognizes the danger of keeping these techniques guarded completely; that’s why, since its foundation, Lumina has offered classes to amateur goldsmiths. They believe in keeping the tradition alive by opening an array of courses to students who are dedicated to learning this unique craft.

Lumina uses a technique for crafting jewelry called cera persa, or the “lost wax” technique used for creating bronze sculptures. A wax model is made of the original piece, which is used by a special lab to create a plaster cast of the original object. Wax is then melted in the plaster case, leaving behind the shape of the original object. This can be used to replicate the original design as many times as the artist desires. The finished metal is filed and perfected by hand, so that each piece is as refined as possible.

The pair of friends founded Lumina in 2014 after being introduced by a mutual teacher from their prior art history education and have found themselves tied together ever since. The bond that the former art historians have forged translates into an ethereal collection of unique jewelry pieces that mirror the natural landscape of Italy and beyond. Each piece is handcrafted in the heart of Rome, where the pair have resided for their entire lives. Each piece is handcrafted in the heart of Rome, in the historic neighborhood of Monteverde Vecchio. 

Today, the business is what Nora aptly describes as “a two-man show… though sometimes a one-man show,” when the time to pick the kids up from school rolls around.

Nora and Carlo playfully interrupt each other while recounting the story of how they met, each complicating what the other says with a clarification that only one seems to remember – like how Carlo saw Nora as a naive tourist and decided to raise the price on her (even though, he claims, he was just pricing things at random). Of course, he couldn’t resist asking for her number.

The pair has always been equipped to deal with whirlwind changes to their lifestyle, such as dropping everything and moving to Rome together to pursue photography, and the conditions brought by the coronavirus lockdown proved to be no different. During the pandemic, De Gori had the opportunity to leave his house and shoot some of the piazzas and monuments of Rome while the city streets were devoid of people. He found himself with a lot of time on his hands, as all of us suddenly did. So, when he began playing around with acrylic paint, the idea of painting over photos and creating original pieces of mixed media art was born and has since become an aspect of TrevImage’s brand.

Nadia Ridolfini of Aegea Mosaici has cultivated her craft since she was a young child and has emerged a master of the mosaic arts. A life-long Roman, her designs marry Italian classics with international inspirations. “By chance, I worked in an atelier, and learned the techniques of mosaics for 3 years.” Nadia said. “I found it interesting. It united design work and practical work. It is something more useful than other forms of art.” She then studied at the Accademia Di Belle Arti in Rome to learn the technique of mosaics and became a teacher after she finished schooling.

Though Nadia’s roots have always been in the soil of the Eternal City, her passion for art has taken her all over the world. Previously, she lived and taught in Central Africa where she shared the art of mosaic making with disabled children. The materials used in this atelier reflect her multinational experiences. The marbles used come from Africa, Spain, Brazil, China, and many other countries, each with its own unique characteristics.

Rome is often remembered for its cobblestone streets that bear the footsteps of ancient Romans, but there is a precise beauty in the mosaics that quietly coat the city in marble. Mosaic work fills the heart of the Eternal City. Nearly every church is studded with intricate designs depicting religious scenes. Santa Maria Maggiore in Trastevere glimmers with Pietro Cavellini’s portrayal of Virgin Mary. The apse of San Clemente depicts important Christain motifs, and the mosaics of the Vatican wrap the basilica in shards of golden light, reflecting years of collected heritage laid by the hands of artisans from centuries past.

When you walk into a church in Rome, observe the walls and floors – intricate mosaics tell a thousand stories in wordless poetry. The mosaics of the Eternal City offer glimpses of Roman life through the ages, and make clear what they valued the most.

Derrick is someone that can captivate an audience for hours with his illuminated speech and stories of world escapades. He sees the world through the eyes of an optimist, and his unlimited creative power is immediately evident in the products he invents. As a young person, Jones moved to New York City where he worked at Macy’s in Herald Square and eventually became the youngest executive in store design and visual merchandising. The job taught him how to make things that are not only functional and practical, but aesthetically pleasing. He then moved to Rome and worked for Burberry as a visual merchandiser for 14 years. Now, after a successful career, Jones is breaking away from the mainstream market and making bringing innovative art accessible and sustainable.

Jones’ first product “Cuff to Cup” was born from a last-minute dinner party invitation and the lack of a wine gift bag. Careful not to disrespect the sanctity of wine in front of Italians, Jones fastened a pseudo-gift bag for a bottle from a scrap of fabric. In true Roman fashion, he took something old and kept it alive; from the sleeve of a shirt from Rome’s Porta Portese flea market, the first model of “Cuff to Cup” was created. 

“I wanted there to be a very powerful statement about upcycling.” said Derrick, a longtime frequenter of the market along the Tiber’s left bank. “Cuff to Cup embodies everything I believe in; upcycling, a taste for design, improving the [wine] culture in some small way – if that’s even possible.”

“The Jones”, his newest creation, marries flexibility and upcycling in a multi-functional accessory that can be worn by any gender in a number of different ways. Sling it over your shoulder and use it as a bag, fashion a unique vest, or come up with your own unique use. Inclusivity is at the forefront of Derrick’s brand, and there are no wrong answers when it comes to wearing “The Jones”.

Derrick’s’ passion for growth and flexibility embody everything that a business should encompass the modern world environment. He is not simply a businessman or artisan – he cares for each and every customer, and communicates his message of empowerment and personal responsibility through the products he sells. 

“It’s about upcycling, it’s about doing something green, and it’s also the embodiment of building your creativity and looking at things in a different way,” Jones says. “Because that’s what I think we really need; a renaissance. It’s about breaking down the walls we put up around ourselves. Cuff to Cup is a symbol of all of that. You look at it and see that everyone has ideas of their own.”