“My creations are distinguished by the accuracy of the work, the harmony of the shapes and the delicacy of the product.”

In Volterra, the use of alabaster to create art objects has deep historical roots. The selection and processing techniques, conceived in the eighth century A.C. by the Etruscans, arrived almost unaltered all the way to the shops of our days.

The Volterran alabaster production is one of the most significant craft activities in Italy, even if nowadays it’s losing many of the qualities that determined its value for so many years. Gloria Giannelli’s creations, however, are a symbol of the traditional alabaster handicraft.

Art & class

What looks like very fine lace are real “embroideries” engraved on stone.

Gloria Giannelli featured in various events in Italy and abroad and received important national and international acknowledgments thanks to the elegance and originality of her elaborated fretworks and trimmings.

A great success has been represented by the invitation to participate in the first edition of Homo Faber, an initiative of the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship Under the High Patronage of the European Parliament, which was held in Venice in the second half of September 2018. The artist has been included in the Best of Europe section, the showcase of the 300 best artisans in Europe.

Gloria Giannelli Alabastri Volterra

Gloria Giannelli began her alabaster artist career in 1980 and she was the first woman in the history of Volterra to do this work.

Gloria’s workshop, like most of the activities in the historical center of Volterra, exploits the spaces of ancient dwellings: it’s located on the ground floor of Palazzo Tortoli. The building, renovated in recent times, on the outside is lacking in details that could indicate some reminiscence of past eras, but inside an interesting medieval influence can be glimpsed.

Come see Gloria at work with her delicious creations, in her workshop adjacent to the Etruscan Museum.

Gloria Giannelli

Engraving and fretwork manufacture

Since I was a little girl I used to go to the shops of the artisans in my neighborhood, feeling a great admiration for what their skilled hands could do. This has aroused in me the desire to undertake this activity. The accuracy of my creations is distinguished by the harmony of the forms, the pleasantness to the touch and the delicacy of the product.

For this to be possible, certainly an important factor was the fact that before me the work was done only by male artisans and therefore it had a purely masculine taste, so my work has distinguished itself from the traditional work for the feminine approach and touch.

Each creation is signed by Gloria Giannelli.