ARTISANS BY TRADITION.
YESTERDAY’S AND TOMORROW’S.

MONTEGRANARO

AN ITALIAN HERITAGE

Montegranaro is a town in the middle of the Marche region, which faces both the sea and the mountains. There is a real shoe district here: its inhabitants have grown up breathing the art of handmade shoes. A Made in Italy tradition that has never stopped.

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OUR FAMILIES

9 ARTISAN FAMILIES

Children mostly learned from their parents, some even learned from the neighbors: this is the story of an incredible artistic contamination: making shoes by hand. Let's knock on our artisans' doors together, a bit like Jacopo and Enrico did in 2014, when everything started with the first yes, when Velasca was born.

Our artisans | Velasca

Genesio

He tells us that he started with his wife, Gisella: to begin with they produced uppers; in the 70s there were workshops everywhere in Montegranaro: some sold insoles, some sold leather, some sold uppers, some sold shoestrings. And Genesio and Gisella made their own luck, in their own way.

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We passed through Umbria, Tuscany, went to Lazio, we met customers with samples in hand and took their orders, one by one

Luciano

He started when he was just 10 years old. Luciano has a lot of experience, he tells us that in Montegranaro only shoes were made. When he talks about his job he smiles, he loves what he does.

He also lets on that it’s quite a difficult job, that it often “p***es you off”: to recognise imperfections in shoes and leather you are working on you need experience and patience; but if you're in a hurry, your work will be sloppy.

You don't know Campofilone tagliatelle? They're thin, handmade tagliatelle. They're well known!

Mariella

Mariella chats to us while she is working on one of our uppers. She's been making shoes for 40 years: her hands are precious. Mariella has always worked on classic men's shoes: She says shoes were simpler a few years ago, but now they’re more complex and more carefully designed. She wouldn't trade her job for anything else.

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Here you start and finish shoes, they're entirely handmade. There's no comparison, these shoes are far more cared for...

Giacomo

Giacomo has breathed in the art of shoemaking since he was a child. He tells us that people from the countryside began working in factories, learning the trade; then in the 70s many of these workmen started their own small company. When he was younger, each workshop was dedicated to a piece of footwear: for transport they used Piaggio Apes, Montegranaro was full of them.

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Imagine Montegranaro when I was smaller and I would stay outdoors to play: every door I saw concealed a shoe workshop!
BEHIND THE SCENES
OF OUR MEETINGS

Every time we meet with them it warms our hearts: we share a lot with them, even at a distance. We always laugh and pull happy faces.

A CHAT WITH

LUCIANO

Luciano, we know you like your job; well, perhaps not more than tagliatelle...

A CHAT WITH

MAURO

With you, the first yes. How could one forget? But you still haven't taken us out for Vincisgrassi...

A CHAT WITH

ZENO

We learned a lesson: you can always tempt a craftsman with good food.

A chat with

GIACOMO

We can imagine him as a child, sitting in the back of a Piaggio Ape with his foot ball in hand.

A CHAT WITH

MARIELLA

A craftswoman who loves to make a shoe’s every part: how graceful this hemming is!

A CHAT WITH

NAZARENO

Your shy facial expressions speak volumes about your passion.

A CHAT WITH

MARIELLA

When he talks about crafts and Velasca, her eyes sparkle.

A CHAT WITH

EDOARDO

Dad's footsteps, Mum's Vincisgrassi. Either way, Edoardo won't stop smiling.

A CHAT WITH

DEBORAH

You're right, Deborah, craftsmen are like artists: in a work of art you can glimpse humanity.

A CHAT WITH

ITALO

Your experience is spellbinding: we shall not forget our first meeting easily.

A CHAT WITH

MARCO

“Food”, you said? Add a few chairs, we're coming!

THE STORY CONTINUES

When you choose a Velasca model, you have a piece of Italian tradition at your feet. And you make it immortal.

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