Vietri Artist Gianluca Fabbro Bridges Italian Craftsmanship to Lowcountry Charm

The artist visited Le Cookery at the Village at Wexford in November to bring his works to Lowcountry homes.

Story + Photography by Audrey Geib

In a world of mass production, where design so often begins on a screen, Gianluca Fabbro designs with his hands.

“I’m a producer of hand-painted ceramics,” he said. “I work for Vietri, in Italy, and I’m an artisan who mostly produces hand-painted pieces with a special technique that we have self-invented.”

That invented technique is unlike anything else in the world of ceramics. 

“It is made with sponges, but in a different way,” Fabbro explained. “We engrave the sponges, we paint with all the layers of colors on the sponge, and then we transport the decoration at one time on the piece.”

Tradition that travels

After being inspired by the beauty of Italy’s Amalfi Coast, Susan Gravely, her mother, Lee Gravely, and sister, Frances, founded Vietri in 1983. Vietri has become one of the world’s most beloved names in Italian ceramics. 

Every plate, platter and bowl is handmade and hand-painted by artisans across Italy, blending centuries-old craftsmanship with contemporary design.

To host one of Vietri’s master artists, especially one as integral as Gianluca Fabbro, is a rare honor. He’s behind many of the brand’s most recognizable collections, and his recent visit to Le Cookery on Hilton Head marked the first of five stops on a select North American tour.

Painting in reverse

The pressure on the sponge transfers the image composed of built-up colors, creating the design in one motion. 

“It’s very simple, but at the same time, beautiful,” he said. “We put all the colors in reverse. The last color that you see is the first that we have put over. So we have to think about the colors in reverse. Every time we have to restart from zero because the color is completely gone.”

That devotion to originality is what drew Vietri to Fabbro more than a decade ago. “We started the cooperation with Vietri 10 or 11 years ago,” he said. “In the past we used brushes to paint, but the result was very classic; this is a modern and different style.”

Each piece begins as raw clay and ends after passing through fire several times. “We start with the clay, we produce the shape, then we cook for the first time,” he explained. “Then the piece is ready to be painted. We paint with the sponges, then we dip in the glaze, and then we cook again for the second time. After that, there is the process of quality control. If there is a little hole, something that is not perfect, we re-cook it again.”

The result is a work of art that feels alive. It’s this authenticity that caught the eye of Rachel Lively and her husband, Michael, owners of Le Cookery, who have filled their shelves with Fabbro’s designs. 

“I think that his work is just very beautiful,” Rachel Lively said. “It’s all hand-painted. He has a very personal touch. Vietri is very elegant, but it’s also very down to earth.”

Among Vietri’s most popular designs are those that connect naturally with coastal life. “Especially the sea turtles,” Lively said. “With the love of the sea turtles on the island, that’s a big draw.” 

The Tartuga collection, with its soft blues and gentle curves, feels at home among Hilton Head’s tides and palms.

For Lively, the beauty lies not just in how Vietri’s pieces look, but in what they represent. 

“It is all handmade,” she said. “It’s not perfect; it’s never going to be two identical pieces, because they all are hand-fired, the glass is mouth-blown, and it is all hand-painted by people like Gianluca. So that makes it unique and a really heirloom item.”

She hopes that seeing the artist at work helps people understand that each piece is more than tableware; it’s time, touch and tradition made visible. 

“I want people to see him working and appreciate the thoughtfulness and everything that goes into his designs,” she said. “Watching him paint shows this isn’t made in a factory somewhere, it is truly hand-done by him.”

In the end, that’s what makes his work special: centuries of Italian artistry finding new life in Lowcountry homes, each piece a reflection of patience, tradition and love.