Umberto Giovagnoli

Giuncart

Basketweaver

©Fabio Brocchi

©Federica Campanile

©Fabio Brocchi

Weaving his magic

Umberto learned the craft in his father’s workshop
He runs Giuncart, the family's weaving workshop and shop
He restores antique objects and creates new designs with vintage inspiration

Giuncart is a small wicker and basket weaving workshop and shop in the heart of Rome. Founded in 1960 by Mario Giovagnoli who learned this craft from his uncle, it is run today by his son Umberto and the second generation has not betrayed the original essence of this vintage style shopping heaven. Umberto repairs and restores baskets, hats, handbags, chairs, coffee tables or any other object made of wicker, rattan or cane, but he is also able to design and weave new creations to the delight of the many tourists passing by his workshop, not far from Campo de’ Fiori. For his outstanding skills, Umberto was named Master Craftsman in 2014 by the Mayor of Rome and his shop is included among the best Bottega Storica of the city.

Interview

©Fabio Brocchi

©Fabio Brocchi

What is your educational background?: I started learning this craft very young, I think I was six years old. It was not like I was working: I was playing in my father’s workshop, because we used to live on the upper floor and the whole family was involved in the business.
What do you love most about your profession?: The variety of our work. We restore antique creations, we work on a commission basis for particular objects, we create our own designs. But nothing is really new: on the contrary, the vintage inspiration, especially from the 60s informs our work.
What does well made mean to you?: When you talk about a handcraft, well made does not mean perfect. You can easily find cheap and ordinary objects which look perfect. We don’t copy ordinary objects, we create our own. It’s a key to success, because the demand for high quality is always high, and there are not many masters around.
What has been a memorable moment in your career?: A few years ago, the Municipality of Rome asked me to restore some chairs and other furniture pieces in the house-museum of the Italian novelist Alberto Moravia. Not only was it a pleasure to work on such a project, but I also had a nice surprise: all the objects were clearly made by my father.

Umberto Giovagnoli is a master artisan: he began his career in 1977 and he started teaching in 2014