Today’s itinerary includes a special visit to meet two remarkable artisans. Sorrento is famed for its exquisite handcrafted wood art known as intarsia, and I’ve long dreamed of meeting the Stinga brothers, Aniello and Pasquale, from Stinga Tarsia. These talented men have devoted their lives to creating unique, hand-designed intarsia pieces, an intricate art form that involves crafting detailed designs from various pieces of wood. Their workshop has been a family-run establishment since the early 1900s, now flourishing in its third generation.
I am grateful to my friend Grace Rocco for making this special experience possible for me and my eighteen-year-old granddaughters, Kate and Emily. My thanks also go to Grace’s friend, Olga Stinga, who is the director of the Sant’Anna Institute in Sorrento, where Grace studied Italian. Olga, the daughter of Aniello Stinga, kindly responded to my inquiry about the opportunity to meet the brothers and observe their craft.
This morning at 11:30 a.m., Kate, Emily, and I entered the Stinga brothers’ shop located in Piazza Francesco Saverio Gargiulo, just a short walk from the Church of Saint Francis. I was pleased to find Aniello waiting for us; he had suggested we visit before noon during our brief stop yesterday. This kind gentleman extended a warm welcome with his unpretentious demeanor and treated us like family. His stylish clear-framed glasses added to his youthful appearance, complemented by his thick, mostly white hair, blue jeans, and a blue-and-white striped, button-down shirt.
“I’m thrilled to finally meet you, Signor Stinga. I’m a friend of your daughter, Olga. She mentioned we could watch you as you work,” I said, introducing Kate and Emily and expressing our intent to make several purchases in his shop afterward.
The girls were captivated as he chose two pieces of wood and began to explain the intarsia process. “This is olive wood, and this one is lemon wood. We prepare it in many pieces,” he said.
He then pointed to a paper design and picked up an old wooden tool. “Everything is done by hand,” he explained, indicating the drawing and cutting of wood for the design. Aniello noted that completing one item takes around six months. I was astounded by the level of intricacy involved in this painstaking yet artistic craft. It’s evident that Aniello is deeply passionate about the work he’s been dedicating himself to since childhood. I felt privileged to witness his artistry and share this moment with him.
After experiencing this informative and captivating demonstration, we explored the beautiful showroom, taking in the impressive array of intarsia items such as music boxes, jewelry boxes, picture frames, trays, chess boards, and even furniture. Kate and Emily carefully chose their favorites—a music box each, which I gifted to them for their graduation. “Since you were little and I bought you those small Sorrento intarsia boxes with a ballerina design, I’ve wanted to bring you here so you can choose one for yourself.” It brought me immense joy to see this dream come to fruition.
Pasquale assisted us with our choices, providing insightful recommendations while allowing us ample time to inspect everything.
I chose a lovely jewelry box for my daughter-in-law, Amy, along with a music box for myself. Naturally, I picked “Torna a Surriento” (“Come Back to Sorrento”) as the tune inside. After hearing it, Kate and Emily decided on the same for their boxes.
Emily also decided to purchase a small box for herself. Pasquale managed the business transactions, offering us a discount and processing our payments. He bore a strong resemblance to his brother, and I couldn’t help but wonder if they coordinated their outfits, as Pasquale also wore a light blue, button-down shirt paired with gray trousers. Aniello attentively wrapped each item and labeled them, making it easy for us to recognize which gift belonged to whom without unwrapping the beautiful packaging.
Upon finishing this careful task, Aniello surprised us with thoughtful parting gifts—tiny wooden shapes used in the intarsia process as mementos. How unique and generous! Grazie mille, Aniello. Before we departed, the brothers kindly posed for a photograph at my request. What a delightful experience in Sorrento!
Having spent nearly an hour with the Stinga brothers, Kate and Emily expressed how much they enjoyed the visit and were truly impressed by the high-quality craftsmanship they had just witnessed. I take comfort in knowing this unique experience will remain etched in their memories.
Parts of this narrative are excerpts from Italy at Eighteen, a travel memoir that was a semi-finalist in the prestigious Royal Palm Literary Awards Competition organized by the Florida Writers Association!
If you haven’t yet picked it up, it’s available in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook formats!
You can check it out here: Italy at Eighteen
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Grazie and Ciao.
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