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masters of
and
by John Schanck
F rom the beginning of the trip to the end, everything was
perfect, or as one would say in Italian ‘perfecto!’
When I first read about the “Masters of Marble and Metal”
lot before the 2015 Naples Winter Wine Festival, I knew it was
the one I wanted. Consisting of the 8 Cubes sculpture made from
Carrara marble by the renowned artist Márton Váró, a gold and
diamond ring from Fratelli Piccini’s “Tetti di Firenze” Collection,
two Calamai Chronograph G50 watches forged with the same
steel as the General Electric turbines from the F-104 of the Italian
Air Force, and a trip to Italy to see where they’re all made, I couldn’t
let it get away! And so I placed the winning bid on lot # 53, and,
believe it or not, my whole life changed.
From the time I walked off the plane in Italy with my son and Tuscany, when we met Márton Váró and traveled with him to the
his fiancé, everything exceeded our expectations. Not only did we marble quarries, about a fifteen-minute drive up the mountains
get to visit the Carrara quarries where 8 Cubes was sourced, and with beautiful views of Carrara, to visit the Cave Michelangelo.
spend the day at Fratelli Piccini’s Florence shop, but we got to meet There, Márton’s friend Franco Barattini greeted us and gave us
the artists themselves. It began during the first leg of our trip in
an in-depth explanation of the marble
and his background. Franco was such an
inspirational and humble man; he started
working in the quarry when he was twelve
years old and is so passionate about the
marble quarry.
A few days later, after exploring
the wineries of Bolgheri, we arrived in
Florence to meet Elisa and Catherina
Piccini, the granddaughter and great-
granddaughter of the founder of Fratelli
Piccini, one of the most famous jewelry
brands in Italy. There, we were greeted
with champagne and hors d’oeuvres and enjoyed a special dinner
on the terrace of their shop overlooking the Ponte Vecchio. The
food was delicious, from a beet salad with a crème, mushroom
risotto, beef with a sauce and some vegetables, to a Tuscan grape
harvest cake that was excellent. After dinner, we received our
86 Life in Naples | December 2015
