Marco Castorina

Marco Castorina, proprietor of one of the most important woodcarving, gilding, joinery and cabinet-making workshops in Italy, was born in Florence in 1976 and raised in a family with a tradition of woodworking. In fact his great-grandfather Mario, a woodcarver, had started the business in 1895 in Catania.

Wood and Furniture

After a first move of the family to Rome, it was his grandfather Eugenio who decided to go to Florence, where he opened a workshop in Via Santo Spirito, the current seat of Castorina 1895.

Marco Castorina began his career as an apprentice in the family workshop at the age of sixteen, commencing with the simpler operations like sanding furniture and colouring the backs of frames, as he recalls: a laborious but necessary training, an obligatory step for a good apprentice. ‘Only time and the trick of “learning with your eyes” allowed me to gain enough confidence to be able to put my hands only where master craftsmen can.’

Over the years he picked up all the tricks of the trade and, by dint of his talent and his passion, took over the reins of the historic workshop from his father Mario in 2007.

Castorina does all kinds of woodwork, employing ancient techniques and applying finishes of the highest quality. Thanks to its collection of over 5,000 articles made of natural wood and the ample possibilities of customization it offers, the workshop is a point of reference for designers, restorers and enthusiasts from all over the world.

Reproduction furnishing accessories, numerous sorts of picture frame, friezes, sculptures and a large quantity of objects are on display in the showroom, along with raw materials, components and accessories for restorers and hobbyists looking for original pieces of quality.

Among the craftsman’s creations that it is possible to admire in the workshop there are beautiful carved and gilded mirrors, frames and console tables, Medici vases carved from walnut with the traditional polished finish and elegant spheres made of marbleized wood, ebony and wooden mosaic.

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