It was September 2013 when I first stepped into the Barbetta factory in Nardò, Lecce—one of the leading suppliers of finished products to Italian and international fashion houses operating in the luxury sector. I arrived as an executive English teacher with great skills in language acquisition and zero in luxury. I was convinced that expensive Italian clothing served only as a vanity metric for those with more wealth than humility. I couldn't believe that in this tiny town in the south of Italy the size of Beamsville, Ontario—the town where I was born and raised in Canada—major fashion houses from around the world turn to for the manufacturing of their luxury garments.

​

As time went by and  I met the family behind the company, Luciano and his wife Ileana, and children Adele, Cesare and Gaia, Marco Cavalera and the executive team and the hundreds of artisans, I realized how naive I was to the world of luxury fashion. Looking back, I now can see King Solomon’s words in Proverbs crystallizing in my mind: “Luxury is not fitting for a fool.” And until encountering Barbetta, there I was, playing the part perfectly. But divine encounters have a way of humbling us. My student, Luciano Barbetta, Founder of Barbetta Srl, became my unexpected teacher. Through patient conversations and quiet demonstrations, he revealed how Made in Italy and poetry are intertwined. True luxury, I learned, isn’t in the label or logos—it’s in the hands that cut the fabric, the generations of knowledge passed down through whispered corrections, the pride stitched into every seam so a garment endures. Luciano understood what his artisans had always known: their craft is a dialogue between tradition and innovation, between ancestral wisdom and modern demands. This understanding breathes life into every story in these pages.

 

It is thanks to that experience, that I was introduced to Attila Kiss, CEO of Gruppo Florence, who is orchestrating what is quickly becoming Italy's Luxury Manufacturing Renaissance—uniting family-owned manufacturers (Barbetta included), blending their Saper Fare with technology to propel Made in Italy into the future. In our extensive and wide-sweeping interview, it is clear that Attila's  vision transcends business; it’s a mission to preserve cultural patrimony through human connection.

 

The Artisanal Intelligence issue celebrates that uniquely Italian quality across fashion, food, design, and travel. In Rome's Palazzo Esposizioni, the Dolce & Gabbana "Dal Cuore Alle Mani" exhibit honours the hands and memories of Italy's master artisans, reminding us that true craft imbues objects with soul. In Florence, we meet Matteo and Alessia Mancini, whose bespoke My Mancini shoe empire proves craftsmanship and innovation can—and must—coexist. Also in Florence, the Hotel Savoy celebrates 25 years of perfecting this blend of heritage and modern elegance, with culinary and cocktail experiences—like those crafted by the legendary Salvatore Calabrese—rooted in Florentine spirit and artisanal precision. 

 

At Borgo Egnazia in Puglia, ancient traditions merge with modern luxury, while Hotel Savoy marks 25 years of timeless elegance, elevated by Salvatore Calabrese’s cocktails. In Sicily, Chef Ciccio Sultano reimagines local ingredients with Michelin-starred brilliance, and Paola Mencarelli’s Italian Cocktail Weeks transform mixology into cultural storytelling.

 

Monica Iotti’s TAHBLE collection embodies how etiquette and craftsmanship are twin expressions of respect—rooted in tradition yet vital to conscious living today. From Milan Design Week, where Paolo Sorrentino’s La Dolce Attesa exhibit captivates, to Lamborghini's Polo Storico legacy, where we explore the alchemy of heritage and innovation. Even love stories, like Sara and John Penesis’s vow renewal in Cefalù, reflect culture’s power to bind generations.

 

In our fast-fashion, compulsive-purchase-era, this issue is a tribute to depth—to the history, heart, and hands behind Made in Italy. Artisanal intelligence is more than skill; it’s a philosophy, a call to live with intention and cherish the richness of human connection.

​

As I close this letter, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons lingers in my mind, a reminder of Altamura Distilleries' Le Quattro Stagioni event at The Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, and that enduring beauty is born not from algorithms, but from the genius of a single moment. The same is true of every Italian craft featured here—each a note in a symphony no machine could replicate. So, I invite you to read these pages with Vivaldi playing softly in the background. Let them be an ode to the irreplaceable human spark, to the masters who keep it alive, and to the Italy that teaches us to create with both hands and heart and the poetry behind it all.

          

With gratitude,​​​​​​​​

​

​

 

Giovanna G. Bonomo

Editorial Director & Editor-in-Chief
Concepteur of the multimedia brand Lost & Found in Italy