EMBRACE SUMMER BLOOMS

VIETRI designs are inspired by all aspects of Italian culture. We make it a point to incorporate day-to-day life, the environment, and the architecture into our ideas and inspiration. We are eager to take in the world around us and observe styles, trends, shapes, colors, and textures as we weave in our experiences along the way to create unique and timeless designs. There are no limits to what inspires us and the artisans we work with. It is one of the many things that brings us so much joy in creating and collaborating.

Gianluca Fabbro was born in Italy in 1968. Since childhood, Gianluca has always had a passion for painting and creativity. He has worked with ceramics for over 30 years, learning the craft from his father and grandfather. While studying architecture in Venice at the age of 21, Gianluca’s father became ill, and he put his studies on hold to return home and take over the family business. Over the years, Gianluca has grown in his skills and further developed new techniques and patterns with the help of his fellow artisans and employees. As a maestro artisan, he created a unique sponging technique used to handpaint charming and beautiful designs on ceramic and has designed for some of the best retailers and importers throughout the world, including VIETRI. Gianluca loves art, traveling, and his family. He is constantly inspired by the beauty of nature, making the clay surface his canvas with ease and artistic passion.

Fiori di Campo or wildflowers in Italian are an integral part of the Italian landscape. With miles of unparalleled countryside, Italy’s vast array of florals flow naturally throughout the various regions of Veneto, Lombardy, Tuscany, Umbria, and Campania. As a culture, Italians are known for their love of flowers and the Infiorata di Spello: Spello Flowers Festival is one example. The event consists of carpets of flowers during the Catholic feast of Corpus Domini in June every year. More than 60 groups composed of nearly 2,000 flower placers (infioratori) work to create extraordinary flower mosaics. 

Gianluca has experimented with historical styles throughout his tenor as a maestro artisan, and his impactful work with his unique handsponging technique has captivated his consumers and is now known distinctly as his own. It starts with cut medical-grade sponges: the perfect consistency for even application. Each sponge is used only once allowing variation from the next (a beloved feature of VIETRI’s handcrafted heritage). Gianluca applies the layers of paint from light to dark with precise detail to evoke a sense of depth on his final pieces. He carefully places the sponge onto his chosen canvas, terra bianca bisque, and then finishes with handpainted touchups before the final artwork is finished with a crystalline glaze and fired in the kiln. The result is a true piece of art ready to be the conversation pieces of endless gatherings around the world.

Maestro artisan, Gianluca Fabbro, hones his unique craft of handsponging vibrant, picturesque fields of wildflowers reminiscent of the Italian landscape. One can imagine strolling through various pastures and stopping to soak in the aroma of a fresh bouquet while taking in the beautiful views of overgrown colors.