People. There is something beautiful and mysterious about each one of us. We are not like everyone else, nor do we plan to be. Each one of us has dreams, hopes, a history of struggle and success that lead us to be who we are today. No matter how we feel today we should celebrate us. I have a background in History and I remember while attending College, I used to imagine situations of the past like they were happening right in front of my eyes, to be able to feel the same as the people I was reading about in a book. I was putting myself in their shoes to understand their hopes, fears, and dreams. That is how the love for tradition was born in me, a curiosity for how and why what comes before me was born. However I find myself needing to live my own life with its own set of problematics, and this has sparked in me the desire to marry tradition and innovation in my life, in my brand and in everything I do. Like for example asking the question: “how can I communicate to others the beauty of the Italian countryside and its traditions to my friends and customers here in America?”

I was born in an era and in a Country where quality, pride, and integrity matters. I felt the tradition of the centuries being passed on to me through the medieval walls, the Churches, the fields and craftsmanship that surrounded me since I was a child. I understood early on in my life, that somehow I had a mission to communicate this content to others and I felt compelled and joyful about it. I also realized that there was no path I could follow to do so, I was positively influenced by great people I had the fortune to meet, but what was in my heart was something I had to follow and do by myself. So it became clear that I had to carve my own path forward. I hope this path will be something you will be able to grasp and be inspired by and that will make a difference in your life too.

I do not say this because I think my path is better than others, but because the more I read about people around me and the more I meet other people, the more I realize how all of us have the same hope and struggles, and that there is something fascinating about life as a journey. My memory goes often to the book “Under the Tuscan Sun” where a college teacher and her husband bought an old house in Cortona (close to where I am originally from) in Italy and they start renovating the house by themselves with the help of people that they meet in their lives. This renovation becomes a paradigm of life: We start from a raw picture of who we can be or do and then with time, effort and struggle we find ourselves in a place that we never imagined possible. And is beautiful in his own way, and that includes all the problems and struggles we had just to get there.  Saint Francis of Assisi, that I love and have in high esteem, used to say “start to do what is possible and you will find yourself doing the impossible”. I believe there is nothing more fascinating in life than finding ourselves on this journey.

In recent months I had several conversations about what is the LUCA brand. All these thoughts are revolving in my heart when I think about what I do. For us, the Store and the Brand is not just a brick and mortar selling the product but is a journey, a passion, a belief that want to share we want to share with you. Everything we make, and we sell is made to last and is genuine in its nature. We want to invite you to be part of this journey and make it better.   

I feel fortunate that you are part of our brand; because our brand is built on the individual stories of each one of us. We jokingly always say that we are not a brand to worship (like there are many out there) but we want to be part of your journey to becoming truly yourself. There is nothing more fascinating for us than help you achieve your fullest potential.  I hope you will give us a chance.