Handcrafted Holidays

With the holidays approaching, many have begun to envision the joy of gathering around a table. My Favorite Things aims to make your table and home a space created with intention.

As a home accent and design store, one of My Favorite Thing’s top artisan brands is Vietri, America’s largest importer of handcrafted Italian ceramics, drinkware, flatware, table linens and accessories.

My Favorite Things has carried Vietri since its opening in 1985 and is designated as a Villa Vietri retailer, a distinction given to only the most elite retailers in the country that can and sell the entire collection.

“We specialize in offering unique items for dining and entertaining to elevate your table and home,” said Lauren Teal, owner of My Favorite Things.

For the past 20 years, whether decorating your holiday tablescape or selecting a gift, My Favorite Things has hosted a Vietri artisan in late November for an in-store event showcasing their handmade Italian artistry.

The 2024 event will take place on Nov. 20 from 2 to 6 p.m. This year’s artist is Cristian Massaro, who will showcase his moulding and painting techniques. He will also personalize and sign any purchase made from Vietri. My Favorite Things will be pre-selling items for signing before the event to ensure that attendees can reserve their favorite piece to have signed.

Born in Tuscany, Cristian Massaro specializes in drawing, painting and sculpture. In 2017, after graduating with honors from the Academy of Beaux-Arts in Florence, Massaro began work as an apprentice with maestro artisan Stefano Roselli. For the past four years, Roselli and Massaro have collaborated to create and inspire some of Vietri’s most beloved collections.

Cristian Massaro

“It is meaningful to me when people value my work,” said Massaro. “For me, it means that I was able to establish a connection, that something in my art spoke to them, sparked a memory and left them feeling better than when they came. Art is a way for me to transmit my feelings of joy and happiness to other people, a way for me to share it with them, no matter how big or small.”

Massaro is among over 40 artisans and manufacturers that Vietri works alongside throughout Italy. Forty years ago, Susan Gravely founded Vietri with her sister, Frances, and mother, Lee, after a family trip to Italy, during which the trio fell in love with colorful hand-painted dinnerware on the Amalfi Coast. Now, the company takes pride in selling fashionable yet classic Italian artistry to over 2,000 American-based stores.

“Vietri is one of our favorite companies,” said Teal. “Vietri sends an artist to only a handful of stores, and we are honored to be one of them.”

To learn more about the event on Nov. 20 and view Vietri products, visit myfavoritethings.myshoplocal.com/.