How does the striking city of Orvieto, Italy, a comune populated since Etruscan times, connect to San Francisco? The connection is easier than it might seem. Both are known world-wide for their iconic topography, hilly terrain, quaint charm, and, as seen in this photograph, foggy mists. Both are dramatic and romantic. And then there is the recent visit to San Francisco by Massimo and Tiziana Aloisio whose presentation titled “Orogami: An Orvieto evening in San Francisco” brought a sizable audience to San Francisco’s Istituto Italiano di Cultura.
The special evening reception was co-hosted by the Institute of Italian Culture under the auspices of Paolo Barlera and Sharon Meagher and Alfredo Casuso and David Perry, owners of David Perry & Associates, Inc. Featuring cuisine by Filomena Fiorenze, the event highlighted the unique wearable art of Orogami and the food, wine and culture of Orvieto as the capital of the Cittaslow movement. A highlight of the evening was when Mark Chandler, Director of International Affairs for San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, presented a Certificate of Honor to Tiziana & Massimo Aloisio, the founders of Orogami. In addition, the couple brought official greetings, gifts and an invitation from the Mayor of Orvietto, Giuseppe Germani, to host Mayor Lee in Orvieto.
Through the golden artistry of Massimo and Tiziana’s international award-winning jewelry, guests were invited to attend an evening celebrating the unique culture and creativity of Orvieto by experiencing one of Italy’s most beautiful hilltop towns. With over 3000 years of history, Orvieto is renowned for its extraordinary Cathedral, iconic wine, breathtaking vistas and refined but relaxed quality of life. As the “green heart” of the Slow City movement, Orvieto with its historic hospitality and beauty has inspired generations, from the Etruscans to St. Augustine, from Michelangelo to Fra’ Angelico.
L’Italo-Americano spoke with Orogami founders Massimo and Tiziana about their artistry and its connection to San Francisco.
What brought Orogami, Massimo and Tiziana Aloisio, to San Francisco and to the Istituto Italiano di Cultura?
After having had several experiences in presenting our jewelry in other American cities, we felt that San Francisco reflects a similar philosophy to that which is the basis of our Orogami collection. Plus, we have several friends who divide their time between San Francisco and Orvieto — Tony Origlio and Kip Vanderbilt, and also Alfredo Casuso and David Perry who arranged the event for us at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura. There is a great spiritual influence to our work, the same sort of spiritual influence that many people have commented on about both Orvieto and San Francisco. This trip, in many ways, was about building further bridges between the two.
Is there an inspiration or special connection to the City either through the jewelry collections or through the town of Orvieto? Is there a particular part of the collection that best reflects San Francisco?
Orvieto and its 3000 year history are at the core of our design and business philosophy. An iconic hilltop town halfway between Rome and Florence, Orvieto has a rich and unique heritage that spans prehistory, the Etruscan era, the Roman Empire and the Renaissance as exampled by the world famous “Duomo” / Cathedral of Orvieto with its priceless artworks by Fra’ Angelico, Signorelli and others. Our jewelry designs at Orogami reflect the city’s unique heritage and cultural legacy. As for San Francisco, the collection of ours that probably best reflects the relationship between our work and our foray into San Francisco is our “Bubbles” collection, the inspiration of which is a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt, whom we both admire greatly: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” When we found out that Eleanor Roosevelt was the first US Ambassador to the United Nations and that the United Nations Charter was signed here in San Francisco, it only confirmed our deep feelings of the synchronicity between these two places, Orvieto and San Francisco.
Where does the inspiration for your collections come from? Expand on the philosophy of life and emotions and how the artistry tells a story.
Our aim is to generate emotion. Emotion occurs when the result resounds inside us in harmony. Every piece of our collection tells a story. A creative journey begins with an idea – a concept that wants to be expressed. It’s this distinctive approach to contemporary design that allows Orogami to merge aesthetics, high-quality craftsmanship, and versatility with primordial symbolic value into its collections. The play of chiaroscuro, and the use of different tonalities of gold and life’s iconic motifs, makes Orogami’s jewelry recognizable and a perfect representation of the secrets of traditional Italian artisan energies and spirit.
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