IL LIUTAIO
MY WORKSHOP IS CALLED IL LIUTAIO, IT MEANS THE VIOLINMAKER
THE violin maker is a workshop of handcrafted instruments, a place where a violin is conceived, designed and produced.
THE violin maker is the master who manages to enhance the sound of each instrument, knowing its history and the materials intended for its realisation.
THE violin maker is the seasoning wood, still silent waiting for their turn.
THE violin maker is the scent of varnish and fir in the air
THE violin maker is the student instruments, because every young musician deserves a quality violin
... but above all, The violinmaker is a place where you can still admire the completely manual construction of your violin, viola or cello.
How I became a violinmaker
I crossed the threshold of the Cremonese school at the age of 15 and after 5 years I had learned a centenary tradition under the guidance of Mº Ernesto Vaia. Among the walls of the school other masters have been used to create the violinmaker that I am now, Claudio Amighetti, Alessandro Voltini, Davide Sora, Dario Occhipinti, Daniele Scolari, and Flavio Smerieri.
After my experience in Cremona I attended the specialization years of the Civic School of Violin Making in Milan with Mª Paola Vecchio, Gabriele Negri, Stefano Gibertoni and Claudio Canevari.
The subsequent studies were held in Cremona, with the course I.F.T.S. for the acoustic set up of stringed bow instruments, under the guidance of many masters, Luca Primon, Pio Montanari, Marco Osio, Claude Macabrey, Gregg Alf and an apprenticeship in the workshop of Edgar Russ, where I made a copy of Guarneri Del Gesù "Ole Bull", together with the master we have worked to make it acoustically perfect.
Later I left for the United States where, for 3 months, I improved my skills in Pittsburgh, PA.
I opened my first shop in the province of Monza where I worked for three years, but since my work is also continuous inspiration, I decided to listen to my heart and in 2022 I chose to move to Santa Venerina, a step away from most famous Acireale, in the wonderful natural park of Etna, one of the most beautiful landscapes of Sicily. Here I create violins and grow up together with my wife, our daughter Lisa
The force of volcanoes create a flow of energy around them.
It's what I feel when I design my violins, I carefully choose the materials, and then I create the individual parts. Mine is a job where energy and harmony become one with the final instrument.
I can say that each instrument is a project in itself. It starts from listening to the customer who commissions it for himself or the dealer who knows his market.
Sicily has always been a land that has inspired artists, musicians and great craftsmen and I would like to invite everyone to spend time here, where the wind that comes from the sea often creates natural symphonies, where, as Goethe wrote, the key to everything is found .
In my workshop the sound of making mixes with the scents of wood, in the light of the sun, and becomes an instrument performed in compliance with the Cremona tradition, which then takes its true path in the skilled hands of the musicians.
The work of a luthier is accompanied by the natural slowness of making, time is needed to shape the woods, time to dry the varnishes, calm and precision are needed to create an ideal work. Here in Sicily the slower pace of human activity is well suited to my activity, at the same time Sicily can be at the center of the world, allowing anyone wishing to join me to also have a unique experience in this wonderful land me to travel to meet musicians and representatives around the world
The instruments
Master Instruments:
The meticulous choice of woods, the constant acoustics and aesthetics research are the necessary bases to build my instruments. As a master I follow personally every stage of the work, from the first planed to the last semitone to tune it. Doing all the work by hand is essential, to work every piece of wood with the measurements and curves it needs. The same is for the varnish, all with high quality raw materials and associated with the most suitable instrument.
Linea Suono Italiano:
Instruments chosen personally by the master. The most delicate and important process for the sound are finished in my workshop, ensuring a sound rendition indispensable for a concert or hours of study.
