Our merchandising team took a journey across the Atlantic to visit our artisans in Italy. Anna, our copywriter, kept a travel log of the trip to share her experience with our Uno Alla Volta family.

“One of my biggest concerns when departing for Italy was the fact that I speak very little Italian. Despite being fully of Italian ancestry and having studied the language in school, my ability to utilize it is elementary at best. I was told that a handful of our vendors could speak English, including Elisabetta, our Florentine handbag artisan, which was comforting. However, I felt my own inadequacy in that knowledge, as I can only speak one language fluently, while they can speak two! I feared that I would come across as cold or unintelligent; unable to communicate effectively. Thankfully, I was completely wrong.

“Lisa, our Italian representative and translator, did all the “heavy lifting” when it came to communication. However, I was amazed at how easily I could read people’s personalities and sentiments just from their tone, gestures, and facial expressions. Although I could understand so few of their words, their hospitality and kindness quickly bridged the language barrier. So much can be communicated through a handshake or a smile. I felt so warm and welcomed, even though I was speaking with strangers.

“Today, I learned that joy is the same in every language.”

-Anna, Queen of Editorial

 

We visited artisans Elisabetta and Alessandra in their studio in Florence, where we got to see how they handcraft their beautiful handbags.