Thanks to my expert guide, Andrea Anastasio, I have seen the craft treasure trove that is Naples.

This spirited and wonderfully unique Italian city has deep roots in craft production, and it’s amazing to see how these traditions persist despite embattled conditions. I’m working with Fabrica to produce a film on all the great artisans we met in Naples—it’s currently in postproduction—but I wanted to share just a taste for now.

One of our favorite stops included Fatto a Scampia, a fairly well known name in Italy under which a collective of women work together to make small bags and household items. Scampia is one of Naples's most notorious neighborhoods, riddled with crime and gangs, but the collective provides a small beacon of hope for the community and an outlet for those who love working with their hands. Other highlights include stopping by a small but outstanding workshop for handmade leather gloves, a visit with a man who crafts the most wonderful umbrellas in Italy, and an encounter woman who creates astonishing paper flowers in every color and variety imaginable.

It was all too much, really. Life changing.

© Fabrica

© Fabrica

© Fabrica

 

Stay tuned; more to follow on our craft film with Fabrica in the coming weeks!  And thanks again to Andrea Anastasio and Fabrica for an incredible adventure!

Giovanni Flore of Fabrica

* All images courtesy of Ambra Medda for L'AB/Pamono, except where otherwise noted.