A Design Tour Through Italy

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Additional shops to visit on your design tour through the region:

Elizabeth Helman Minchilli, an American who lives in Rome, has authored five books on Italian culture. Her latest, Italian Rustic (Artisan, November 2009), tells readers how to incorporate Italian style in a home – wherever the home is. Her book provides detailed resources on artist ateliers, shops and manufacturers making and selling beautiful, authentic items.

“The joy of Italy often consists of doing ordinary things in extraordinary settings,” wrote Erica Jong, but homeowners, decorators, gardeners and style-minded travelers know that extraordinary settings don’t only apply to sun-drenched landscapes. When it comes to extraordinary places in Italy, discovering those quaint, off-the-beaten-path places – and finding exquisite artisan-created terra-cotta pots or stylish table coverings to accent your home décor – means a lot.

For style- and design-seekers who want to sample a variety of one-of-a-kind Italian design destinations, we suggest that you go straight to the heart of the matter and make a circular driving trip that includes Rome and two exciting central regions, Tuscany and Umbria.

Guidebooks may direct you to famed cities and their art and architectural masterpieces, but to find the special stores, shops and outlets that savvy Italian designers and decorators frequent (and many Americans do not know about), the following insider’s design guide will lead the way. For authentic and rare treasures that appeal to those wanting to bring a touch of la bella vita back home, we asked Elizabeth Helman Minchilli, author of Italian Rustic, for her expert design suggestions.

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INSIDER’S DESIGN DESTINATION

IN TUSCANY

Florence

• Lisa Corti (www.lisacorti.com), a home textile emporium with shops in Florence and Rome.
• Antica Passamaneria Toscana (www.passamaneriatoscana.com) for pillows, throws, table runners and trim. These are two especially wonderful shops that feature nice, high quality textiles.
• Antico Setificio Fiorentino (www.anticosetificiofiorentino.it/english/storia.htm) has authentic Florentine textiles woven on looms dating to the 18th and 19th centuries. The enterprise is now owned by the Pucci family.
• Moleria Locchi (www.locchi.com) offers crystal items, both restorations and reproductions.
• Mosaici Artistici Bianco Bianchi E Figle (www.biancobianchi.com) has scagliola tabletops, giftware and other beautiful pieces. (Make an appointment first.)
• Additional stores in Florence: www.esercizistorici.it

Impruneta

• A hill town known for terra-cotta. The best-known producer is Poggi, but there are many other smaller artisans worth visiting.

IN UMBRIA
Umbria, a third the size of Tuscany, is the only landlocked region in central Italy. It has a rural feel, offering drivers panoramic views that include patchworks of small plots devoted to sunflowers, vineyards and wheat fields. Ancient castles and walled towns, perched on top of high hills, polka dot the whole of Umbria.

Citta di Castello

• Lacole Casa Italiano (www.lacole.it) is a big salvage place selling old fireplaces, tiles, stairways and other authentic building parts.

Pistrino

• Porte del Passato (www.portedelpassato.com) is a wonderful place for antique doors and high-quality reproductions.

Deruta

• There are over 400 places making ceramics in Deruta. For good quality dishes that you can use every day, try Sberna (www.sberna.com).
• For beautiful, one-of-a-kind pieces, try Geribi (www.geribi.com) and Margaritelli. Shops are dedicated to famed Deruta artisan-made ceramics. It is a perfect place to buy gifts as well as tableware to accent your home.

Ripabianca

• Visit Fratelli Berti for fantastic terra-cotta pots and terra-cotta home décor – famous for big garden pots.
• Maria di Ripabianca and Luxury Cashmere (www.luxurycashmere.it) are two high-style, pricey cashmere-manufacturer outlets for fashionistas; both outlets are in Ripabianca.

Rome

• Spazio Sette, Via dei Barbieri 7, features home furnishings, kitchenware and lighting.
• Ilaria Miani’s (www.ilariamiani.it) design showroom/shop, Via Monserato 35, offers inspiration and high-style home décor.
• And be sure to walk down Via dei Coronari or Via Giulia to find a variety of antique shops.
• Special recommendation (from Susan Manlin Katzman): Visit Leon’s Place Hotel (www.leonsplacerome.com) in Rome. It is part of the Design Hotels group – the only one of this group in Rome, and it is noted for its design elements. The hotel is aimed at young, hip designers and design-minded guests.

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Additional shops to visit on your design tour through the region:

• Busatti has two Umbrian outposts – in Umbertide and Città di Castello. They sell brightly colored cotton and linen in traditional stripes and brocades, either by the meter or as wonderful bed and table linens. 1 Via Stella, Umbertide. 075-941-3747. 4/D Via Mario Angeloni, Città di Castello; 075-8520154, www.busattitessuti.it.
• Ornate designs dating to the linen still woven on antique looms at Tela Umbra, which is also a great source for tablecloths and fringed bath towels. Laboratorio Tela Umbra, Piazza A. Costa, Città di Castello, 075-855-4337.