Episode 02: Ditta Parisi

      Parisi 1876 is a historic firm founded in the heart of Apulia in 1876, when the region’s town squares could be adorned with luminarie for just 20 lire. What began as a humble gesture to honor saints, lumino in aria or “light in the air”, has since become a symbol of celebration, identity, and transcendent beauty.

      Today, twin brothers Rocco and Torquato Parisi carry forward the legacy with reverence and vision: one foot firmly rooted in tradition, the other stepping confidently toward the future. Under their direction, luminarie have evolved from sacred festivity to global art form gracing not only village piazzas but also international runways, from Dior to the world's most celebrated design houses.

      Crafted from wood but imbued with meaning, Parisi’s creations draw inspiration from the baroque façades of Salento, echoing the soul of Southern Italy. Yet their reach extends beyond its local origins: their designs reinterpret the elegance of Florentine monuments, the harmony of Venetian palaces, and the splendor of the wider world.

      Nothing escapes the Parisi gaze. For nearly 150 years, family members have quietly studied the landscape absorbing, interpreting, and translating the beauty of Italy into radiant installations that illuminate not only streets and squares, but gardens, interiors, and dreams from Japan to Germany, from America to Switzerland.

      Parisi’s luminarie are more than lights. They are time-honored sculptures of light scented by tradition, shaped by craft, and cast toward the future. They speak not only of Salento, but of a universal longing for wonder. And in their glow, the clock seems to pause so that the heart may see more clearly.

      Mani Nobili is an original series hosted by Mesciu Gigi that invites viewers into conversations with artisans of the highest order, craftsmen dedicated entirely to their craft. This series is an invitation to enter the sacred spaces of Italian craftsmanship where human led design, guided by tradition, functionality, and intention give form to beauty.

      Through the eyes of our President, Nicolas Segura, and the voice of our General Manager of Italy, Luca Giusto, we traverse the storied region of Apulia to meet the master artisans whose work sustains the soul of a true Made in Italy. From tailoring to sculpture, from ceramics to woodwork, each episode offers a glimpse into a world where technique is inherited and iterated upon, tradition is honored and enriched, and every gesture speaks of devotion and purpose.

      This series is more than a chronicle of fine workmanship; it is a celebration of vocation, of lives lived in pursuit of excellence, of heritage made tangible, of the subtle but profound harmony between mind, body, and soul that elevates an object by uniting it to a rich tapestry of craft dating back millenia.

      As alluded to previously, this inaugural season is dedicated to the artisans of the region of Apulia. Each month, we dedicate ourselves to one artisan. Monthly on the fifteenth, we unveil a new chapter in their story on our YouTube channel.

      We invite you to walk beside us in this ongoing journey, a journey not only into craft, but into the heart of what it means to create with purpose.

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