Seeking out Local Arts and Crafts in Livorno

Away from Livorno’s main shopping centre, in places that you would probably never find by accident, there are a number of small shops and workshops where some very creative Livornese ladies spend their time channelling their artistic energies into making a surprising variety of highly original handmade objects. These inspirational objects include individual hand-painted ceramics, cleverly printed photographic images, and exclusively designed hats and clothing.  Read more about these resourceful ladies here, and if you like what you see, you could look them up when you come to Livorno.

Handmade hats and costumes to exclusive designs

Hand-made exclusively designed hatsI discovered Cristina Boccara at a local craft fair last year and was drawn to her attractive display of different types of headwear. These craft fairs and markets are Cristina’s main selling outlets.

Cristina has enjoyed dressmaking  since she was very young. She began by making children’s clothes more than ten years ago but has since progressed to producing some very beautiful  handmade hats and costumes, including carefully reproduced period dresses and garments.
One of Cristina's dress designsCristina is a fully-qualified dressmaker, but she has also attended specialist courses in areas as varied as rag-doll making (at the Steiner Association, Livorno) and wedding dresses (at tailor’s Teresa Costanzi, Livorno).

Having perfected her art, she then went on to become a teacher herself, holding courses in dressmaking in San Sepolcro and Livorno (Centro Donna and Itinera), and in  puppet making for children (Il Giardino dei Libri bookshop and the Spring Fair in Villa Regina, both in Livorno).

Her original hat designs range from trendy crocheted pieces combined with bright spring prints to more eccentric jester-type designs in luxurious fabrics. All are skilfully stitched by Cristina at her workshop set up in her own home in central Livorno.

Cristina Boccara is currently developing her own website, but in the meantime if you would like to get in touch with her you can do so via myself at Livorno Now. Click HERE to send me an email.

Gorgeous handpainted patterns for Cristina’s ceramics.

Some of Cristina's Eye-catching DesignsCristina Piombanti developed her passion for all things creative at an early age, but because her mum was reluctant to let her go to a specialist art school in faraway Florence, Cristina was not able to follow  any formal artistic training until after leaving school. This was when she went to Montelupo Fiorentino, a town that has centred around ceramics for centuries, to do a course in ceramics.

Since then she has developed her talents into a small business which she runs from her shop-come-workshop in Livorno, her home town. She is also often present at local arts and crafts fairs, such as the ones held in the Fortezza Vecchia at various times of the year.

A Hand-painted Lamp in Cristina's WorkshopEach piece of work is personally crafted, fired and decorated by Cristina, and her original designs reflect her mood of the moment. She says that her best designs are created when she is angry!

Cristina's style is fresh and highly original and she makes a wide variety of objects, from lamps to mirror frames, dinner services and tableware, children’s money boxes and good luck charms, as well as adding her own hand-painted decorations to furniture and clothing.

To contact Cristina Piombanti please write to me at Livorno Now, or visit her shop in Via San Gaetano 33, Livorno. She is currently developing her own website.

Digitally printed Photographic Images

Printed Bags by Anna Laura BachiniAnna Laura Bachini is a graphic designer who has turned her artistic talents to a wide variety of uses. Her photographic images are already familiar to many of those who live in Livorno, since her designs have been used for the ‘Welcome to Livorno’ panels located at various points in the city. She has also carried out a number of projects for many local businesses, including Bar Civili, Teatro Goldoni and the Caprilli Race course.
A specially made Pet PanelThe core of Anna Laura’s work comes from digitally printed photographic images combined with lines of poetry or appropriate citations. One of her images of the Terrazza Mascagni, for example, bears a quotation about Livorno and its people by  Pier Paolo Pasolini. She uses these designs to make decorative panels, as well as applying them to soft furnishings, bags and clothing.

Anna Laura has had her own graphic design studio in Livorno since 1990. Her works can be seen on display at Studio Blu furniture shop and in Bar Civili, as well as in her showroom in the Fortezza Vecchia.