Romance and Italy have become synonymous. Known as one of the most romantic places on Earth, it's no surprise that we would take a nod from this land of love when planning a Valentine celebration with a sweetheart. Known as "La Festa Degali Innamorati" in Italy, the day is only celebrated between sweethearts and lovers. 

In honor of this day, we here are Modigliani, wanted to share some ways to celebrate Valentine's with an Italian twist.

• Although not only done on Valentine's Day, lovers in Italy profess their love by attaching padlocks to bridge railings and throwing away the key. Locally here in Kansas City, we have have Locks of Love Bridge just for that purpose. 
• Offer the one you love a Perugina Bacio chocolate. Wrapped inside each delicious chocolate is a message of love. They make a simple and thoughtful gesture on Valentine's Day. 
• Cook a delicious Italian meal for your sweetheart. Delight your love with Risotto with Gorgonzola and Fresh Pear Sauce. This dish would be gorgeous served on our Rosso Collection. You can finish the evening off with Strawberry Mousse with Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena and perhaps an espresso in our La Forma del Sogno cup and saucer. 

For some other great tips for creating a wonderfully romantic Valentine's Day, we invite you to read our blog post, Embrace L'Amore.

The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is now behind us! Here at Modigliani Italian Ceramics, we love the hope and promise the new year brings. We are also fond of our next upcoming holiday, Valentine's Day. With Italy being a powerful inspiration for love of family and romance, it comes as no surprise that our artisans have handcrafted a selection of lovely ceramic heart boxes to commemorate the season. 

The Amore Collection features five different heart designs in two sizes.  These playful designs feature a red heart motif with accents of flowers, polka dots and more. The large box is perfectly suited to fill with your loved one's favorite candy or treat. The smaller box is perfect for jewelry, or perhaps even an engagement ring!

No matter which ceramic heart box you choose, it will be cherished long after Valentine's Day is over.  These beautiful ceramic boxes make a lovely gift for teachers, friends, daughters, or that certain someone special in your life! We invite you to shop the Amore Collection. Each heart box is available for purchase individually or as a set.

It's no surprise that we love the holidays! Celebrating with friends and family over delicious food on a gorgeous table, not much is better than that! As you join family celebrations be sure to bring along gifts that will delight and surprise. Modigliani Italian ceramics are hand crafted in a variety of styles and designs that are sure to please anyone on your list. 

Each year, at the time of Thanksgiving, we join together with our artisans and partners to create a work of art and compassion. The Angel Plate (Piastra Angelo) is commissioned to honor those with Rett Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder afflicting young girls. They are known as Rett angels, and here we honor them as such. This is a one-of-a-kind gift which comes with a certificate of authenticity. All of the proceeds go to Rett Syndrome research, this donation is confirmed in a letter sent directly to you from the organization for tax purposes. Visit www.rettsyndrome.org for more ways to support the cause. This truly is the gift that gives back! 

Our popular POP Collection has gone holiday! A subtle tree or ornament is painted on these serving pieces. The perfect delight for your friends and family. They mix well with our everyday POP and our Rosso Collections. This POP Collection tray makes a lovely gift for anyone that loves color and modern style. It also comes in several sizes.

Rustic and red best describes our Rosso collection. The glazing is rich and deep and we find ourselves highlighting this collection from Valentines Day to Christmas with Fourth of July in between! Our Rosso Espresso Cup & Saucer mixes well with Colonna zebra and Condotti black flatware. The simplicity of the design allows this set to mix and match with a variety of other dinnerware. Pair this lovely espresso cup and saucer set with some homemade biscotti and you have created the perfect hostess gift.

One of a kind, or pezzo unico, our Artist Series Collection marries the contemporary with the traditional. Created by one of our young ceramists and painted by Lazzaro, each of these pieces is one of a kind. The series brings a contemporary feel to an old tradition. The Artist Series Large Double Vase is a statement piece in anyone's Italian ceramic collection. Standing 16" tall, this vase would be a bold statement on a mantel, credenza, or large dining room table. 

Handcrafted fabrics, tablecloths, towels, runners, curtains and sofas created by Busatti are the result of nearly two centuries of experience. In this Tuscan firm, precious fabrics woven with shuttle looms come to life  from the dying, spinning and weaving processes that were originally developed centuries ago. The wonderfully soft woven fabrics are then each finished by skillful hands; transforming them into exclusive, beautiful works of art that you can enjoy daily.  

The holidays are in full swing here at Modigliani Italian Ceramics and we are so thankful for our customers that we are offering our Rosso Italian Biscotti Jar, complementary, with a purchase of $300 or more. To take advantage of this offer, we invite you to sign up for Modigliani emails on our homepage in the middle of the footer. The free gift code will be emailed right away. 

In a gorgeous rich and red glaze, our Rosso collection is timeless. The vivid hue matches well with many of our other hand-painted patterns. The simple, yet elegant, look of the Rosso collection makes it ideal for use at your Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day or even Fourth of July celebrations.

Generously-sized and waiting to be filled with your favorite Italian biscotti, we are sure this piece will be a welcome addition to your tableware. Keep it for yourself, or it will make a lovely holiday or hosts gift, just fill this Italian biscotti jar with Chocolate Pistachio Biscotti or homemade cookie of your choosing. 

We thank you for your patronage. Happy Holidays.

“The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving.”

-Albert Einstein

Tis the season to be thankful and often times it’s hard to know how to show how grateful we are to the awesome people in our lives. The following will outline some creative ways to show your appreciation. Remember to never forget the power your words have. Many times we think we say how much we appreciate our friends and loved ones but more often than not we forget to actually say it. Simply saying I am grateful for you can mean more than any other act of appreciate. 

• Smile: It’s contagious and shows you shine when they’re around
• A handwritten note given unexpectedly.
• Time: A commodity that is often in short supply. Grabbing coffee or a drink, catching a sunset or a walk together can show that loved one you value them.
• Staying in Touch: Time can get away and many of our loved ones live far from us. Put it in your calendar as a reminder to reach out to them in a note or phone call. Scheduling this time will make sure you never forget. 
• Call someone you know is in a tough spot and just listen for as long as they’d like. 
• Make a friend their favorite meal or buy them a bottle of wine and drink it together, slowly, with no agenda.

When it comes down to it, sincerity is the key to showing your gratitude. Being genuinely thankful is what people want to see. Smile from ear to ear, send a note, make a phone call, send a gift, and make sure to say, “thank you.”

All of us here at Modigliani hope that our new website makes your shopping experience with us easy, and enjoyable. As a little thank you, we are adding a free gift to all orders in the month of October.  No codes at checkout are needed and there are no minimums to meet. 

Rediscover MyModigliani.com, when you are ready to purchase, you'll have a little something extra on us!

Modigliani invites people to celebrate the everyday – so when it comes to life’s special milestones, like weddings, we are first in line to celebrate alongside our customers. Nothing brings us more joy than helping couples select the dinnerware and serving pieces for their future table, or assisting guests in picking the perfect gift from a bridal registry.

Since we also take joy in creating tablescapes and serving unique culinary creations, we also keep an eye on current wedding trends, particular those around our headquarters, Kansas City. We have a soft spot for KC’s own bridal publication EA Bride, as their aesthetic and creativity aligns well with our own proclivity for handcrafted, unique, and artful celebrations.

With the summer issue due out any day now, we are glancing back at some of our favorite spring wedding trends highlighted in the spring 2015 issue of EA Bride (order a physical copy here) and exploring how you can incorporate Italian stylings with these trends.

Bringing Italian Stylings into Spring Wedding Trends

Bright, Fun, and Eclectic

EA’s “A Fair to Remember” feature photographed by Melissa & Beth reveals an ongoing wedding trend: a move away from the more traditional and formal event toward a fun, colorful, and eclectic affair that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

In this styled engagement shoot, the bride- and groom-to-be frolic at a fair with a carousel and cotton candy truck as their backdrops. Bright and playful shades of mint, teal, salmon, and marigold mingle with royal blue. The couple sips from glass soda bottles and holds a balloon bouquet. The vibe is flirty and fun.

Echo this wedding trend in your own tablescapes (bridal or otherwise) with our bright dinnerware collections. Pair the POP collection’s Lines dinner plate with the Circle soup bowl.

Or for more centralized color, pair a solid colored plate, like our Laccata Puro, with a mix of tall, rainbow-hued vessels for florals, like the Check Large Twisted POP vase or the coordinating Circle Vase. The mix of complementary colors but alternating patterns will inject fun and energy into your tablescapes.

Bohemian Vibes

The “Glitz and Gypsy Glam” photo shoot by Jana Marie and styled by Amani Skalacki encapsulates another trend: a Bohemian-chic aesthetic achieved by blending bright colors (aqua and coral) with moodier jewel tones (magenta and sangria) and lush greenery. Gold accents add a touch of glamour, while mismatched dinnerware and serving pieces add frivolity to a traditional farmhouse table. Small bites are served atop an ottoman under fabric draping.

You can easily achieve a similar look at your wedding or next gathering with our Italian ceramics. A mix-and-match approach to the table reigns, but make things feel united by picking a few colors to emphasize, then combining plates, bowls, and servingware in that colorway. Our website makes it easy to determine complementary pieces – just select a collection and scroll down to the “COMPLEMENTARY PRODUCTS” section.

We also love the idea of serving up a smorgasbord of cheeses, crackers, grapes, spreads, and other cicchetti for guests to munch on as they mingle during cocktail hour. We carry a number of serving platters perfect for artful appetizer display, as well as pitchers and carafes for wine, sangria, or liqueurs.

Earthy Colors, Natural Patterns

The July wedding shot by Lark Photography featured in “Magic in the Mountains” exudes rustic-casual elegance thanks to a palette of sunny yellows and oranges, nude-peach, pale grey, gold, and earthy brown. Natural elements like succulents, wildflower bouquets, and wooden boxes lend a charming outdoorsy ambience to the indoor tablescapes, echoing the natural feel of the venue’s exposed beams and wooden floors.

Though largely photographed outside, this real-life wedding can be emulated even in indoor events. Ground your tablescape with earthy colors, choosing one brighter color as your primary accent. Select plates with florals and other natural patterns to bring the outside in – we’re partial to the Festa line or Terre di Chianti. 

Use some of the larger serving pieces to arrange desserts and small bites, like the shooters and cupcakes this couple clustered among florals and photos.

Make Time to Celebrate "La Grande Vita"

Even if you are not planning any nuptials, we invite you to try your hand at these spring wedding trends. Make the ordinary a celebration in the true spirit of our philosophy, “Embrace la Grande Vita.” Create memorable tablescapes and food to savor. Every moment can be special with a little care.

If you are a soon-to-be-newlywed, we extend our warmest congratulations. Modigliani would love to be a part of your table for years to come. We would be honored to personally help you select the handcrafted, one-of-a-kind dinnerware, flatware, glassware, or serving pieces that you’ll use at family gatherings for years to come. To start your own registry – or peruse a loved one’s list and select a piece as unique as their relationship – click here or contact us today at (816) 659-1400.