Asolo Oggetti d'arte & restauri
My favorite furniture maker/craftsman/antiques guy is Claudio. He has a large warehouse near Asolo, a charming hilltop town known for its ritzy antique shops. But Claudio's place is far from ritzy. That's why his place is so charming. It's like a giant treasure box.
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CLAUDIO'S CONTACT INFO: Via Castellana #2, San Vito di Altivole, Treviso; 388-0496-645
DIRECTIONS TO CLAUDIO'S
There are many ways to get to San Vito from Pordenone. The directions below are the easiest way to explain the route. The drive will take about 1 hour and 30 minutes without traffic. Even if you have a GPS, please take a good map of northern Italy with you!
BASIC DIRECTIONS from Pordenone:
1. Stay on SS13 and take road signs to "Conegliano," then "Susegana."
2. In Susegana, you will see a hilltop villa and come to a large roundabout. At that roundabout, follow the "Treviso" road sign.
3. Continue to follow "Treviso" road signs until you cross a large river. Once you cross the river, follow road signs for "Montebelluna."
4. After passing Montebelluna, follow road signs for "Asolo."
5. In Asolo, watch for a left turn onto SP6, Via Castellana, to "San Vito di Altivole."
6. In San Vito, park at the town center near the Catholic Church. Claudio's store is kitty-corner from the statue of a soldier in the parking lot.
DETAILED DIRECTIONS from Pordenone (For people who get lost a lot):
1. Take SS13 to Conegliano.
2. Go through Conegliano and go to Susegana. As you leave Susegana, you will see large open fields and a hilltop villa on your right. Then you will come to a large roundabout.
3. At that roundabout, take your 2nd exit; the exit sign will say "Treviso."
4. Continue to follow "Treviso" signs until you cross a river (Fiume Piave) on a bridge called Ponte Priula.
5. Immediately after you cross the bridge over the river, the road will fork into two roads. Choose the "Montebelluno" road. Do NOT choose the "Treviso" road; at this point you will follow road signs to "Montebelluno."
6. You are now on SP248.
7. Montebelluno is one of the larger towns in this area. It has many shops and restaurants, and people milling around.
8. Go through Montebelluno, then start following road signs to "Asolo."
9. Some landmarks you will see as you get closer to Asolo: a Dinosauro store on your right, some factory stores, a beautiful villa on your right, a 2nd larger and more beautiful sprawling villa on your right, a road sign for the city of Maser.
10. Once you pass the "Maser" road sign, you are in Asolo. At a traffic light, on your right, you'll see a school and a church, topped with a large statue of liberty holding a cross. Smile, you are almost there.
11. Landmarks: On your left, watch for a large "Scarpa" factory on your left. SLOW DOWN! On your right, watch for a road sign for "Asolo centro" and an OMV gas station.
12. At the OMV gas station, TURN LEFT. The road signs at that intersection are "Padova," "Castelfranco," "Riese Pio X," and "San Vito di Altivole."* (If you pass a Tex Mex restaurant on your left, you have gone too far and passed that intersection.)
13. After turning left, you will be SP6, Via Castellana. You'll drive about 2 miles, go through a tiny roundabout, and enter San Vito.
14. At the town center, on your left you will see a bar, a Catholic Church, large statue of a soldier, and parking lot. Park in that parking lot.
15. Claudio's antique store is kitty-corner to the large statue.
*Make sure you turn left at the road sign for "San Vito di Altivole," NOT the sign for "Altivole." Both will take you to San Vito, but my directions are for the "San Vito di Altivole" sign.
His main warehouse is in San Vito's town center. If you blink when you drive through San Vito, you may miss the town.
ABOUT CLAUDIO'S
The 1st floor and basement of his warehouse are piled floor-to-ceiling with items, large and small, from all over Europe and from all eras, ending with mid-century stuff. The top floor has a bit more walking room, but is just as delightful.
You can't help but smile and laugh when you see his stuff. What is this? Where did he get this? You've got to be creative and let your imagination loose as you think of ways to use items from bygone eras.
The top floor also has his workshop, a dusty and dark work space. Surprisingly, that's where the magic happens. He is a true artist and craftsman. He restores beat up items perfectly -- not too much and not too little. The restored piece enables you to recognize and enjoy its beauty, yet still reminds you that it had a past life.
Claudio can also built new pieces: buffets, china hutches, dining sets, beds. Each is a masterpiece. Gotta love his pieces that are topped with inlay or marble. His wood furniture are solid wood. In America, most furniture is made of pinewood with cardboard backing. His stuff is made of solid walnut (not walnut veneer) with a walnut or pinewood backing.
In his topsy-turvy, mildly organized warehouses, I have unearthed pieces seen in magazines featuring multi-million-dollar homes, as well as historical palaces and villas in Europe. You'll also discover "flashback" items: the tin lunch can you saw your grandfather carry to the sugar cane fields, the work bench your late father built.
What I love most about Claudio is that he is kind, honest, and humble. He knows everything there is to know about antiques, but he is far from pretentious and he will not rip you off, even if you're a dumb American who doesn't know the difference between pinewood and walnut.
TIPS:
1. Call Claudio to a few days ahead to make sure he'll be there.
2. Dress warm in the winter; the warehouses are not heated.
3. Do your research. Look at magazines and google furniture you're interested in acquiring. Get a feel of market prices. Learn about different wood qualities. Sketch items you want him to build; include measurements in centimeters. Bring photos, if possible.
4. Bring your Italian-English dictionary, camera, measuring tape, notebook. He only speaks Italian.
5. The main warehouse is not very child-friendly. Claudio is super nice, though, and won't complain about kids. Just make sure you bring a DVD player/iPod/snacks for the kiddies. Bribe the kids with promises to visit one of the places listed below if they behave.
6. Peruse the entire warehouse, then ask Claudio to accompany you to see all the items you're interested in purchasing. Nothing is priced; he'll need to tell you the price of each item.
7. Plan to put down a deposit in cash.
8. Tell him your date of departure from Europe, and make sure he can finish the job in time. He meets deadlines, but you should give him plenty of time. He's a one-man operation, so you may need to wait a couple of months for your orders.
9. He can customize any job, i.e. you can ask him to pull hardware from a piece and put it on another piece, or ask for glass doors instead of the existing wood doors. For new items that he will build, you can pick your stain color, table legs, amount of antiquing, fabric for chairs. You can even bring your own fabric for upholstered dining chairs.
There are many ways to get to San Vito from Pordenone. The directions below are the easiest way to explain the route. The drive will take about 1 hour and 30 minutes without traffic. Even if you have a GPS, please take a good map of northern Italy with you!
BASIC DIRECTIONS from Pordenone:
1. Stay on SS13 and take road signs to "Conegliano," then "Susegana."
2. In Susegana, you will see a hilltop villa and come to a large roundabout. At that roundabout, follow the "Treviso" road sign.
3. Continue to follow "Treviso" road signs until you cross a large river. Once you cross the river, follow road signs for "Montebelluna."
4. After passing Montebelluna, follow road signs for "Asolo."
5. In Asolo, watch for a left turn onto SP6, Via Castellana, to "San Vito di Altivole."
6. In San Vito, park at the town center near the Catholic Church. Claudio's store is kitty-corner from the statue of a soldier in the parking lot.
DETAILED DIRECTIONS from Pordenone (For people who get lost a lot):
1. Take SS13 to Conegliano.
2. Go through Conegliano and go to Susegana. As you leave Susegana, you will see large open fields and a hilltop villa on your right. Then you will come to a large roundabout.
3. At that roundabout, take your 2nd exit; the exit sign will say "Treviso."
4. Continue to follow "Treviso" signs until you cross a river (Fiume Piave) on a bridge called Ponte Priula.
5. Immediately after you cross the bridge over the river, the road will fork into two roads. Choose the "Montebelluno" road. Do NOT choose the "Treviso" road; at this point you will follow road signs to "Montebelluno."
6. You are now on SP248.
7. Montebelluno is one of the larger towns in this area. It has many shops and restaurants, and people milling around.
8. Go through Montebelluno, then start following road signs to "Asolo."
9. Some landmarks you will see as you get closer to Asolo: a Dinosauro store on your right, some factory stores, a beautiful villa on your right, a 2nd larger and more beautiful sprawling villa on your right, a road sign for the city of Maser.
10. Once you pass the "Maser" road sign, you are in Asolo. At a traffic light, on your right, you'll see a school and a church, topped with a large statue of liberty holding a cross. Smile, you are almost there.
11. Landmarks: On your left, watch for a large "Scarpa" factory on your left. SLOW DOWN! On your right, watch for a road sign for "Asolo centro" and an OMV gas station.
12. At the OMV gas station, TURN LEFT. The road signs at that intersection are "Padova," "Castelfranco," "Riese Pio X," and "San Vito di Altivole."* (If you pass a Tex Mex restaurant on your left, you have gone too far and passed that intersection.)
13. After turning left, you will be SP6, Via Castellana. You'll drive about 2 miles, go through a tiny roundabout, and enter San Vito.
14. At the town center, on your left you will see a bar, a Catholic Church, large statue of a soldier, and parking lot. Park in that parking lot.
15. Claudio's antique store is kitty-corner to the large statue.
*Make sure you turn left at the road sign for "San Vito di Altivole," NOT the sign for "Altivole." Both will take you to San Vito, but my directions are for the "San Vito di Altivole" sign.
His main warehouse is in San Vito's town center. If you blink when you drive through San Vito, you may miss the town.
ABOUT CLAUDIO'S
The 1st floor and basement of his warehouse are piled floor-to-ceiling with items, large and small, from all over Europe and from all eras, ending with mid-century stuff. The top floor has a bit more walking room, but is just as delightful.
You can't help but smile and laugh when you see his stuff. What is this? Where did he get this? You've got to be creative and let your imagination loose as you think of ways to use items from bygone eras.
The top floor also has his workshop, a dusty and dark work space. Surprisingly, that's where the magic happens. He is a true artist and craftsman. He restores beat up items perfectly -- not too much and not too little. The restored piece enables you to recognize and enjoy its beauty, yet still reminds you that it had a past life.
Claudio can also built new pieces: buffets, china hutches, dining sets, beds. Each is a masterpiece. Gotta love his pieces that are topped with inlay or marble. His wood furniture are solid wood. In America, most furniture is made of pinewood with cardboard backing. His stuff is made of solid walnut (not walnut veneer) with a walnut or pinewood backing.
In his topsy-turvy, mildly organized warehouses, I have unearthed pieces seen in magazines featuring multi-million-dollar homes, as well as historical palaces and villas in Europe. You'll also discover "flashback" items: the tin lunch can you saw your grandfather carry to the sugar cane fields, the work bench your late father built.
What I love most about Claudio is that he is kind, honest, and humble. He knows everything there is to know about antiques, but he is far from pretentious and he will not rip you off, even if you're a dumb American who doesn't know the difference between pinewood and walnut.
TIPS:
1. Call Claudio to a few days ahead to make sure he'll be there.
2. Dress warm in the winter; the warehouses are not heated.
3. Do your research. Look at magazines and google furniture you're interested in acquiring. Get a feel of market prices. Learn about different wood qualities. Sketch items you want him to build; include measurements in centimeters. Bring photos, if possible.
4. Bring your Italian-English dictionary, camera, measuring tape, notebook. He only speaks Italian.
5. The main warehouse is not very child-friendly. Claudio is super nice, though, and won't complain about kids. Just make sure you bring a DVD player/iPod/snacks for the kiddies. Bribe the kids with promises to visit one of the places listed below if they behave.
6. Peruse the entire warehouse, then ask Claudio to accompany you to see all the items you're interested in purchasing. Nothing is priced; he'll need to tell you the price of each item.
7. Plan to put down a deposit in cash.
8. Tell him your date of departure from Europe, and make sure he can finish the job in time. He meets deadlines, but you should give him plenty of time. He's a one-man operation, so you may need to wait a couple of months for your orders.
9. He can customize any job, i.e. you can ask him to pull hardware from a piece and put it on another piece, or ask for glass doors instead of the existing wood doors. For new items that he will build, you can pick your stain color, table legs, amount of antiquing, fabric for chairs. You can even bring your own fabric for upholstered dining chairs.
10. He attends the Bazaars at Aviano AB.
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS FOR THE FAM-BAM:
1. Walled towns of Castelfranco and Cittadella. Fun for kids to explore.
2. Architect Palladio's 5 famous villas, the inspiration for buildings worldwide, including the U.S. Congress and White House. His Villa Barbaro is 5 minutes away in Maser. We told our kids, "Yippeee! We're going to a 'castle!'" It also has a carriage house museum that our boys enjoyed.
3. Asolo, a quaint hilltop town.
4. Marostica, a town famous for its human chess match spectacular.
5. Diadora Factory outlet sells hiking and athletic shoes, clothing, and accessories. Husband will love it!
6. Nove, a town with factories specializing in ceramics, is 30 minutes away.
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS FOR THE FAM-BAM:
1. Walled towns of Castelfranco and Cittadella. Fun for kids to explore.
2. Architect Palladio's 5 famous villas, the inspiration for buildings worldwide, including the U.S. Congress and White House. His Villa Barbaro is 5 minutes away in Maser. We told our kids, "Yippeee! We're going to a 'castle!'" It also has a carriage house museum that our boys enjoyed.
3. Asolo, a quaint hilltop town.
4. Marostica, a town famous for its human chess match spectacular.
5. Diadora Factory outlet sells hiking and athletic shoes, clothing, and accessories. Husband will love it!
6. Nove, a town with factories specializing in ceramics, is 30 minutes away.
