Franco Vitelli

He was born in Sezze, in the province of Latina, Italy, in 1955. He graduated in sculpture from the Academy of Fine Arts in Frosinone. All his work is animated by a great passion for experimentation and study of tradition and antiquity, through a creative use of objects from the past in search of the charm of a lost time. In his workshop, “Sectilia”, he creates marble mosaics, through the use of techniques inspired by the most ancient and refined traditions, and the unique combination of materials and colors.

His mastery of ancient techniques has been put at the service of important works such as the restoration of the floor of the Porziuncola of Assisi, where, with the help of his collaborators, Vitelli showed all his talent and respect for the past and its original materials. In Assisi, he managed to preserve the original floor made of opus signinum thanks to an ingenious system that allows the two floors – the new one made of ancient marble and the old one made of opus signinum – to coexist; he therefore kept the original material and created a new pavement.

Among his works, there is the restoration of the Cathedral of Gaeta and the Palazzo Colonna in Rome. In 2012 he celebrated his twenty years of activity in Sezze, his hometown, with an exhibition titled Sectilia – 20 years of marble art, which was presented by the President of Rome’s Università dei Marmorari, Dario Del Bufalo, with talks by Vittorio Sgarbi and Folco Quilici. Vittorio Sgarbi defined it “The last and youngest of the Cosmati”, whereas Dario Del Bufalo thinks he is the best restorer and marmoraro in Italy, especially for the medieval technique known as opus sectile. This is also why Del Bufalo likes to call him “Magister Vitellius Setinus”, in line with the famous families of marble artists Cosmati and Vassalletto.