From DAMS to Via D'Azeglio: how I became a handbag designer

There's a scent I'll never forget. The smell of my mother's leather bags when I was a child and would open her closet. The crisp sound of the brass clasps. And that oval cameo on the bedside table, passed down through generations.

I didn't yet know that one day I would build a brand around those three memories.

Bologna and art as a compass

I studied Art History at the University of Bologna — the oldest in the Western world. It wasn't just an academic path: it taught me to read objects, to seek meaning behind every form, to understand why some things endure and others disappear.

After years spent curating contemporary art exhibitions for institutions and private clients, a new desire emerged. I no longer wanted to just tell other people's stories. I wanted to write my own.

The spark: my daughter Nina

It was my daughter Nina who gave me the final push. Becoming a mother changed the way I looked at time — and used it. I realized that if I wanted to build something real, I had to start now.

In 2014, I founded Gamberini Bag. In 2015, I opened the monobrand store in Via D'Azeglio 5/A, in the heart of Bologna. Since then, it has been my home.

I don't chase trends. I tell your story.

For me, being a designer today means believing in the value of Italian craftsmanship. I build bridges between art and daily life. Every bag that leaves my workshop carries a story within it — mine, that of the hands that produced it, and that of whoever chooses it.