Episode 07: Renzo Buttazzo

 Renzo Buttazzo is the Master who shapes Lecce stone and gives it life through light. He is not simply a craftsman; he is an artist who, even today, loves to define himself as an experimenter.

      Renzo’s creativity is always in motion and has never stopped since 1986, the year he founded his first Lecce stone workshop. From there, after years of research, he gave a new and revolutionary face to the stone which, from merchandising, became a design object.

      He received an honor from the President of the Republic, worked on international projects, participated in important fairs, opened 24 points of sale, produced for Boffi, Armani, and Harrods, and finally opened his own Gallery in Lecce, “Petre,” a dialect term in honor of his Salento.

      From design to art, the step was short and, for Renzo, a necessity—but only after becoming a deep connoisseur of the material. Ignorance was his secret: that “knowing that he does not know” made him curious, willing, and eager for research and deepening, and ensured that his works are known, recognized, and appreciated all over the world.

      Lecce stone is soft, sinuous, and smooth; it is a sponge that absorbs light and is shaped through Renzo’s chisels, hammers, and rasps—a rigorously handmade work that alone is capable of giving a soul, powerful, imprecise, and unique, to the stone.

      Because for Renzo, the soul is in the hands, capable of suspending judgment and creating a perception of enchanted wonder in those who observe his works, incredibly born from blocks of stone extracted from quarries.

      It is magic! ... born from the humility and creativity of an artist with an uncontaminated and pure soul.

      It is in his baroque land that Renzo finds the strength, energy, inspiration, and ingenuity that move him to trace that mark which is not only on the stone, but longs to be a mark, a trace also on the new generations so that they learn to be “virtuous”, so that they cultivate that creativity which is innate in each of us and so that, through them, knowledge is not dangerously dispersed.

      Impossible not to define Renzo as a “Master” … timeless.

      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 millennia.

      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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