Italy is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Recently, our team of merchants visited Italy on a buying mission and explored the history and culture of Italy. At Wisteria, our passion is to bring the world to your home and share with you as many artisanal products and stories as we discover. We visited various small manufacturers to handpick unique items from this part of the world to share with you over the next few months. Italy is renowned for its craftsmanship, quality, and design since the 11^th century. It has always been one of our merchant team's favorite destinations to visit and find new products with the latest designs but still made with the same process and craftsmanship that has withstood the test of time. These incredible products will be brought to life soon. Continue reading to join us on our travels through Italy and to discover the rich heritage and history of these curated finds.

One of the many stops on our journey was in Volterra in the Tuscany region. The historic art can still be seen anywhere you look in this beautiful city today. Tuscany in its little towns and villages is known to have exceptional craftsmanship, which is why we selected handmade items to expand on our global collection. A variety of special items on the way will be made from alabaster, olive wood and locally crafted leather goods and linens.

The food, culture, and wine in Tuscany are unlike anywhere else in the world. Tuscan cuisine is diverse and is connected to tradition and culture. Traditional meals are based on wasting nothing and making the most out of simple ingredients such as bread, pasta, beans, hams, olive oil, and cheeses. Every meal we ate while in Tuscany without a doubt was exceptional and memorable! Tuscany is one of the most famous wine regions in Europe, most known for its diverse selection of dry red wines. Tuscan wine has records of references to the area’s wine merchants going back 1,000 years. Our intrepid guide, friend, and local partner Fabrizio and Iolanda made sure that we had a few moments to taste and sample the local wines and learn a little about them.

Tuscany has been one of the greatest repositories since the time of the Romans. Artisans have been crafting art with the stone, alabaster, since ancient times. Walking the medieval streets, it felt like walking through time as artisans continue to work with alabaster in a similar manner as they have done for thousands of years. As we watched weathered hands carve intricate designs, we knew we had to bring some of this magic back to you in the form of small but precious objects of art.

Visiting more than a dozen factories throughout Italy, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit Florence, Venice, and the Milan. Florence is home to some of the greatest works of art and architecture in the world. The streets are lined with magnificent buildings and landmarks. Here we discovered unique items such as textiles and leather goods that show off the mastery of craftsmanship.

The culture of the Lombardy region (includes Milan and 11 capitals) is known to be modern in comparison to other areas of Italy. Being that it’s referred to as the garden of the world, the surroundings were reflected in the artisan products we discovered. Lombardy is rich in heritage with villas, gardens, and castles across the region. This region brought us a unique selection of textiles, (throws, bed linens, tablecloths) tabletop, (dinnerware, stemware, serve ware), and small artisanal woodwork.

Venice, known as the "City of Canals," is arguably one of Italy's most picturesque cities. Near Venice, is Murano which is world-famous for its distinctive glass ware. It is hand-made blown using tiny glass beads and then crafted using special techniques that date back to late 1200’s. We visited some craftsmen making beautiful items, from melting in furnaces at over 3000 deg F to blowing, shaping to grinding and finishing. We are looking forward to presenting these lovely items to you very shortly.

Stayed tuned........ for the unique treasures we handpicked on our travels across the ocean. Antiques, tabletop items, and textiles are a few of the special products soon to be available at Wisteria exclusively. Our merchants styled and designed these pieces to bring a unique feel of global design to our curated selection of exclusive products. You will be delighted and awestruck by its beauty and details.

We are thrilled to bring you artisanal products from other sides of the world. While you may not be able to visit Italy in these times, we hope to bring a little bit of Italy into your homes by sharing the story and culture through our products.