The element of fire has followed me for most of my life, as has my love for building things by
hand.
My affinity for the elements of wood, stone and steel began while working as a machinist in
Verona, Italy -where I was born and grew up. While never formally trained in design, my many
years of travel over three continents and extensive years of hands-on experience in building has
been a source of inspiration for my manifested visions of pattern, geometry and symmetry in
design.
I bring original ideas to every detail of my building projects; from constructing a variety of
wood-fired ovens, to baking/cooking, composing garden design, building homes both from
scratch as renewals, and, most recently -to designing and building functional pieces of
furnishings under Element Modern Design.
Together with my wife, Doriana, we collaborate in design work and share a passion for cooking
and growing food. Our many creative pursuits combine to form inextricably woven pieces of our
lives where each artform informs another: our home-as-habitat is as thoughtful to our way of life
as is what we carefully prepare to feed our family, as is the table on which we set those meals.
In 2001 Dori and I launched what turned out to be a highly successful Wood-Fired Bakery. With
twin daughters in tow, we operated our family business for 2 decades. More recently, we built a
Wood Fired Oven in our backyard where we continue the long tradition of Old World Style
Baking. From our home and under the auspices of Rhode Island’s Cottage Industry licensing,
we now offer monthly seasonal Bread Bakes within Jamestown. On occasion, Dori and I have
happily volunteered to cook at the Martin Luther King Center where we’ve had the honor to work
alongside their excellent, caring staff and to bring good, healthy meals to our neighbors in the
Newport community.

Born in Boston to Italian/Argentine immigrants, Andrea and I share a common heritage that
encompasses a passion for art and food. As a visual artist, I lend ideas and creativity to
concepts of home design and furnishings in our Element Modern Design. A self taught cook, I
have been inspired by two parents whose love of cooking parallels the inventiveness in their
long-held professional spheres as dressmaker and architect.
My years of travels and my background in artistic studies influence my creative endeavors.
Between those years from there to here, like Andrea, I too have found inspiration along the way.
From our beautiful hand-crafted table where we sit to enjoy our wonderful meals in a home that
we have lovingly created, to the splendid baked goods we pull from our own hand-built
wood-fired oven…combined…we bring beauty, experience and intention into everything we put
forward.