A journey through time has brought to light ancient secrets. To unearth them, I chose to pause and listen to the whispers of the wind, collecting buried memories, weaving tales that could nourish and prepare the ground.
It was an intentional act: to create the necessary space for these secrets to emerge.
I wanted to accompany those who feel a deep connection to their past, those who seek roots, who recognize a subtle calling in the traces of time. I crossed the thresholds of the invisible, following scattered clues, remote signs still alive within each of us. Now that time has come.
The secret that comes to light carries the name of my new jewelry collection:
Segni. Resurfacing from the Deer Cave.
This collection is the result of a visionary and symbolic descent into the depths of earth and time. It all begins in a place shrouded in mystery, located along the Salento coastline, both real and mythical: the Grotta dei Cervi (Deer Cave) of Porto Badisco.
There, in the darkness of a grotto that remained silent for millennia, archaic signs on the walls speak a language yet to be unveiled: pictograms traced in the Neolithic era, perhaps ritualistic, perhaps narrative, certainly carrying an ancestral energy that time has never erased. It is from these signs, traces of primordial humanity, that my new line of jewelry takes shape.
Segni draws its inspiration from a profound dualism that unfolds in the descent into shadow and the return to the surface. The flow guiding the essence of each precious piece is continuous and dual between past and present, memory and vision, darkness and light.
My greatest pride, every time I create a piece of jewelry, is to tell a story that goes beyond the form and materials I use: my jewelry doesn't just want to adorn, but to tell and give unique stories. So once again, each piece in the SEGNI line is born from a Neolithic pictogram actually present and alive in the cave of Porto Badisco. Every trace, every relief, every geometry resurfaces from stone and time to transform into a contemporary symbol that comes alive on the skin.
After the waiting period, the mystery was unveiled on June 21st, on the summer solstice: the collection was officially presented in a place equally rich in history and beauty, the Triangular Hall of the Aragonese Castle of Otranto.
A special event where the public was guided into the world of Segni, organized with the patronage of the Municipality of Otranto and thanks to the collaboration of the UNESCO Club of Otranto and Marina Piconese, president of the Club and presenter of the evening.
It's difficult to describe with precise words the atmosphere that was created: intimate, vibrant, at times suspended.
An attentive audience welcomed the stories, projections, and voices of the guests who, with me, built this journey. Starting with Ninì Ciccarese, journalist, speleo-archeologist, custodian for over 25 years and deep connoisseur of the Grotta dei Cervi, who passionately shared all the stories of that ancestral and, in some ways, still very mysterious place. Alongside him, many shared stories, open-air readings, sound and visual performances, such as the video by director Roberto Leone and the shots by photographer Marco Perulli, which contributed to creating a truly magical and engaging atmosphere.
The energy I felt as the pieces of the collection were unveiled is difficult to explain. But it was all there, like an invisible thread between past and present, darkness and light, descent and re-emergence in an encounter that connected everyone.
To those who were there, thank you very much.
To those who couldn't attend: I invite you to visit me in the workshop, follow me on social media, and visit my website to discover what happened, but above all, I invite you to immerse yourself in the profound universe of SEGNI.
Because even without being able to visit the Grotta dei Cervi, a place currently inaccessible to the public, we can recognize its symbols within ourselves.
A big thank you to those who made all this possible, and a special thank you to my land, Salento, which never ceases to inspire me with its infinite beauty.
