Italy on our minds

Our time in Italy this summer has remained in both mind and heart, and we intend to let it carry us into the upcoming seasons. Tradition, beauty, art, pauses and interactions are factors that define Italy and explain its sustaining pull.

This summer, we spent some time working at Busatti in Anghiari and traveling before and after. We began in Italian Switzerland then moved to the high countryside above Lago di Garda-staying in a restored small farm estate which featured Busatti table linens in its entry room; we next overlooked a private garden in Firenze and then arrived in Anghiari, staying at Busatti’s family home and weaving factory with a view towards the medieval walls that enclose the village. Anghiari is recognized as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy; its narrow curving, climbing streets wind by stone homes, shops, churches, small piazzas, with daily evidence of vibrant, on-going life. Church bells mark the hour and half hour, with small pauses between the various churches. We loved our time in Anghiari and keep its gentle rhythm with us. Milano was the sharp and wonderful contrast that followed. We visited a lighting designer that we’d met this spring at ICFF in New York and stumbled into the most beautiful home and jewelry design atelier, a place that also remains in our daily thoughts. We hope to bring examples of both of these works to our showroom in Atlanta in some way this next year. At ICFF we also met a ceramicist who, like Busatti, travelled to the show on behalf of the Italian Trade Commission: Ceramiche Bucci. These artisanal ceramics share many of the same qualities that characterize Busatti-they marry beauty and function and are intended to be used to enhance life daily; they carry forth a design tradition, and their colors are simply gorgeous. Like, Busatti, we have some pieces to sell in our showroom and the full line can be ordered through us.

Here in Atlanta, we have a new way to keep Italy closer to us daily: Storico Fresco Ristorante e Alimentari opened in its new incarnation this summer, in Buckhead on Grandview Avenue near Peachtree (www.storicofresco.com) and we are excited to be a small part of this wonderful addition to life here. You can buy select Busatti kitchen linens at Storico; their servers wear custom Busatti aprons; and the Storico tote bags that will be offered have been made for them by Busatti.

Best wishes from Busatti in Atlanta