For the fourth and final entry to our fall lifestyle series, let’s end with the cocktail hour.

Having guests over on a crisp fall evening can be the perfect festive occasion. And you don’t always have to entertain by preparing a large meal. Sometimes inviting friends for a cocktail is the best way to do some stress-free entertaining during a busy holiday season.

To set the scene, a bouquet of colorful fall tulips in our Zucca pitcher and a decanter from our Selezione collection full of our famous Rosemarino cocktail are just the ambience needed for a pre-dinner happy hour. Pair them with a cheese or charcuterie appetizer served on our Legna olive wood servers, turn on some music, and you have the ideal atmosphere for entertaining your holiday guests.

 Rosemarino Cocktail

• Make rosemary simple syrup by combining 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water, and some sprigs of rosemary in a saucepan and place on a low simmer until well combined.
• Place 2 ounces of bourbon, 2 dashes of orange bitters, and 2 teaspoons of simple syrup in a shaker and blend well.
• Pour the mixture into your Selezione decanter and serve over ice with a sprig of rosemary for decoration.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our Fall Entertaining Series and that you’ve been inspired to try some of these ideas yourself. Remember, keep it simple, mix and match, and let the natural beauty of the dinnerware and delicious food be the perfect backdrop for what really matters most; precious time with family and friends.

In the second entry of our lifestyle series, we worked with a few ideas on place settings. We took the idea of incorporating nature and textures and mixed it with flatware adding some fun to the place card concept.

We loved the idea of weaving herbs and floral into the tablescape as a whole. As you can see from the first photo, we took a single sprig of rosemary and the simple yet beautiful Michelangelo flatware and tied them together with a rich velvet ribbon, setting them on top of a crisp, off-white linen napkin.

It’s easy and elegant and also provides your dinner guests with a wonderful scent of rosemary.

 As shown above and for the purposes of our photo shoot, we chose to keep the beauty of the wood table as the base instead of displaying a Biancheria ivory placemat in full. But as you build your own tablescape, the placemat provides an elegant backdrop to your favorite dinner pieces.

As you build out the rest of your place setting, use natural elements mixed with different pieces to layer your table. As you can see below, the table setting we chose includes a dahlia and some eucalyptus in a small glass votive. We then used the napkins from our Biancheria Green collection and layered them in a gentle roll mimicking the curved stems on our Villa d’Este amber glassware.

Again, the focus is on elegant yet simple beauty through the mixing and layering of natural textures and patterns.

Next - Appetizer Serving Displays

As October arrives, most of us begin thinking about the fast approaching holidays. It’s the time of year when we look forward to sharing our precious time with family and friends, and enjoying the traditions and festivities of the season.

Additionally, it’s a time of year where many of us want to extend our generosity beyond traditional gifts through the giving of our time and money to those causes that have special meaning to us, for whatever reasons.

For us, October carries a great importance because it’s Rett syndrome awareness month.

What’s the significance to us? Because, it was just 18 years ago when our family first met a wonderful young lady named Bea. Ever since that introduction, she’s been a blessing in our lives along with her parents, grandparents, and sister.

If you’re not familiar with Rett syndrome, it’s a rare non-inherited genetic postnatal neurological disorder that occurs almost exclusively in girls and begins to show its effects in infancy or early childhood. It can often be misdiagnosed as autism or cerebral palsy, because it causes problems in brain function that are responsible for cognitive, sensory, emotional, motor, and autonomic function. These can then impact learning, speech, sensory sensations, mood, movement, breathing, cardiac function, and even chewing, swallowing, and digestion.

As one can imagine, Rett syndrome can present numerous challenges to those living with the disease, as well as those caring for them. But with therapy, assistance, and endless amounts of unconditional love, every single one of them can benefit greatly by participating in typical life activities like school, social, educational, and recreational programs. Even our Bea was able to attend her first prom like any other young girl her age.

Years ago we made the decision to do something to not only help raise awareness about Rett syndrome, but to raise funds for the incredible research underway.

Hence the Angel Plate was born.

In 2014, we started by producing one each year with the idea to create a set of four that could be displayed together on a wall or shelf, or used during special occasions. We explained the significance to our artists and partners in Italy, and they have been honored to design and produce Piastra Angelo with great care. 

2017 marks the final year for the Angel Plate Collection. These plates are a one-of-a-kind gift, limited in number and signed by the artist. 100% of the profits go to Rett syndrome research. You can order the new 2017 plate, or you can collect all four as we still have a few from the previous years available. 

While we know our contribution is a very small one, we like to think that we’ve been a part of helping further research, and ultimately finding a cure for Rett syndrome.

The amazing news is that researchers have been making wonderful strides over the past several years. Their research strategy has yielded unprecedented results, including that researchers now know what causes Rett and have proven it’s reversible. For the first time, they potentially have a treatment, Trofinetide, which could profoundly impact the disorder. Trofinetide increases the amount of connections in the brain that control thought and movement. Trials have shown improvements after less than two months, and because of the way it works, they could expect to see continued improvements over a longer period of time. Trofinetide potentially offers measurable change to every person living with Rett syndrome.

It’s for research such as this that we continue to bring attention to Rett and look for ways to raise funds for more critical research of this nature.

If you’d like to learn more, visit www.rettsyndrome.org for ways you can support this important cause.

We are incredibly grateful to all of you for your continued support. Thank you on behalf of all of us, and most importantly, our lovely Bea and her family.

Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.”

Nowhere else does art and artistry encapsulate everything they do, what they create, the professions they choose, and how they ultimately live as abundantly as it does in Italy. It has arguably been the epicenter of art in all its forms for centuries.

Lemon groves nestled in terraced hills with a bright contrast between the green leaves and blue sea, the strong scent of lemon blossoms or "zagare", and views that are breathtaking all create the atmosphere of the Amalfi Coast. The environment produces unique lemons "sfusato amalfitano" which have a distinct shape, color and flavor, and is the inspiration for our latest collection, Amalfi.

The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is now behind us! Here at Modigliani Italian Ceramics, we love the hope and promise the new year brings. We are also fond of our next upcoming holiday, Valentine's Day. With Italy being a powerful inspiration for love of family and romance, it comes as no surprise that our artisans have handcrafted a selection of lovely ceramic heart boxes to commemorate the season. 

The Amore Collection features five different heart designs in two sizes.  These playful designs feature a red heart motif with accents of flowers, polka dots and more. The large box is perfectly suited to fill with your loved one's favorite candy or treat. The smaller box is perfect for jewelry, or perhaps even an engagement ring!

No matter which ceramic heart box you choose, it will be cherished long after Valentine's Day is over.  These beautiful ceramic boxes make a lovely gift for teachers, friends, daughters, or that certain someone special in your life! We invite you to shop the Amore Collection. Each heart box is available for purchase individually or as a set.

It's no surprise that we love the holidays! Celebrating with friends and family over delicious food on a gorgeous table, not much is better than that! As you join family celebrations be sure to bring along gifts that will delight and surprise. Modigliani Italian ceramics are hand crafted in a variety of styles and designs that are sure to please anyone on your list. 

Each year, at the time of Thanksgiving, we join together with our artisans and partners to create a work of art and compassion. The Angel Plate (Piastra Angelo) is commissioned to honor those with Rett Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder afflicting young girls. They are known as Rett angels, and here we honor them as such. This is a one-of-a-kind gift which comes with a certificate of authenticity. All of the proceeds go to Rett Syndrome research, this donation is confirmed in a letter sent directly to you from the organization for tax purposes. Visit www.rettsyndrome.org for more ways to support the cause. This truly is the gift that gives back! 

Our popular POP Collection has gone holiday! A subtle tree or ornament is painted on these serving pieces. The perfect delight for your friends and family. They mix well with our everyday POP and our Rosso Collections. This POP Collection tray makes a lovely gift for anyone that loves color and modern style. It also comes in several sizes.

Rustic and red best describes our Rosso collection. The glazing is rich and deep and we find ourselves highlighting this collection from Valentines Day to Christmas with Fourth of July in between! Our Rosso Espresso Cup & Saucer mixes well with Colonna zebra and Condotti black flatware. The simplicity of the design allows this set to mix and match with a variety of other dinnerware. Pair this lovely espresso cup and saucer set with some homemade biscotti and you have created the perfect hostess gift.

One of a kind, or pezzo unico, our Artist Series Collection marries the contemporary with the traditional. Created by one of our young ceramists and painted by Lazzaro, each of these pieces is one of a kind. The series brings a contemporary feel to an old tradition. The Artist Series Large Double Vase is a statement piece in anyone's Italian ceramic collection. Standing 16" tall, this vase would be a bold statement on a mantel, credenza, or large dining room table. 

Handcrafted fabrics, tablecloths, towels, runners, curtains and sofas created by Busatti are the result of nearly two centuries of experience. In this Tuscan firm, precious fabrics woven with shuttle looms come to life  from the dying, spinning and weaving processes that were originally developed centuries ago. The wonderfully soft woven fabrics are then each finished by skillful hands; transforming them into exclusive, beautiful works of art that you can enjoy daily.