My husband, Alberto, and I are both from Cesena, a lovely medieval town in the heart of Romagna, Italy. The Romagna region is renowned for its ceramics and textiles, as well as its delicious foods and wines – and its warm hospitality!

Italy is a country with a rich cultural and historical heritage. Each of Italy’s 20 regions has its own distinct beauty, identity and traditions. Some years ago, we decided to follow our desire to know more about our country – so we began a journey that took us along and across Italy.

We still remember longing for holidays and weekends to arrive, so that we could pick up our maps, jump into our car and set off in search of beautiful hidden corners and villages. And every time we returned home, our luggage was overflowing with irresistible items. As well as food (of course, we are Italian!), we would also bring home vases, decorated plates, leather bags, hats, scarves and wonderful linen.

Life can take unexpected turns – and in 2010 we moved to London. We’re having an amazing experience in England, and we love it. Our passion for our home country and her artistic flair still burns, of course. So we look forward to our holidays and weekends when we can go to Italy and spend time visiting artisans’ studios, discovering the very finest traditional and contemporary creations they handcraft.

The magic moment occurred near Trasimeno Lake in the summer of 2012. We were visiting Cortona in Tuscany, when we saw an enchanting little shop in the main square. As soon as we entered, we looked at each other and said, “How wonderful would it be to have our own bottega (shop) in London!”

E AllÓRA (and so)… here we are.

We hope you find it equally exciting exploring the collections and the possibilities we bring to you…

Federica and Alberto