One of the things I often love to do is flip through old family photo albums—to reconnect with my roots and remember our story.
My heart beats faster when I see myself in those images, alongside my sister and cousins, spending carefree days together.So much time has passed since my grandfather first, and later my father, used to load up the horse-drawn cart and travel north along the Adriatic coast—stopping from town to town to offer shoes and wooden clogs until the load was sold out.
They would cover hundreds of kilometers, spending weeks away from home, and return exhausted—but happy.
In the early 1960s, the cart was replaced by a small van—more modern and faster, but not without its own mechanical troubles and challenges, like flat tires or engine breakdowns.
Looking at those black and white photos, I begin to understand the sacrifices—days spent away from home, standing in the town squares. I realize how many ups and downs, how many adventures my grandparents, and later my parents, lived through to bring us to where we are today.The idea to create VILLAMORI was born, in fact, while flipping through one of those albums. I stopped to contemplate a photo of my grandfather, nicknamed "Papa" because of his posture, clearly visible in that image.
That moment brought back a phrase he used to repeat to me in his deep voice:
"Remember, if everyone is doing the same thing, it might be time to change direction."It was then that I understood the time had come to put to use all the technical and artistic knowledge I had gained over the years—to create something new, something unique, with an original style that would stand out from the mediocrity and sameness of mass-market products.
Something that could truly express each person’s individuality.
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I like to think of VILLAMORI as a project unafraid of global comparison—because it’s built on strong, rich, and generous roots.
Roots planted in soil made fertile by tradition, culture, and history—giving rise to a truly inimitable style.Even today, in an era of constant innovation, Made in Italy continues to stand out in the world for its ability to evoke beauty and human values.
This is exactly what I aim to communicate—just like the iconic brands that have made Italian style famous around the globe.What makes VILLAMORI shoes even more original is the possibility to personalize them, to create one-of-a-kind pieces—never identical—designed to tell a story and reflect the personality of the person wearing them.
