Maurizio Betti
Maurizio Betti, born in 1958, is the owner and master craftsman of La Bottega di Betti, located in Santarcangelo di Romagna (Rimini). He inherited the interest for craftsmanship from his father Pasquale, who was a professional restorer for the Municipality of Rimini in the Seventies.
Today Maurizio works with his partner Loredana, professional decorator, and their son Jonathan, to whom he taught all the secrets of the trade: together, they run the carpentry and restoration workshop, located inside an historic barn surrounded by a fairytale garden. Here, they craft furniture pieces employing lacquers and gilding, while also carrying out restoration works on antique furnishings. But, to this day, Maurizio Betti’s true masterpieces are the garden furniture pieces dedicated to a “winged” crowd: large and striking one-of-a-kind aviaries, designed to protect birds from cold and stormy weather.
The idea was conceived in 2008 as a way of combining all the artisanal know-how he acquired during the years, and over time these “little houses” became larger and more detailed, featuring bird nests and feeders, large-scale hand-moulded bird statues made out of mortar, and a variety of decorations. In 2019 Turin’s Reggia di Venaria commissioned him a permanent exhibition of artistic nests, specially decorated, which is still displayed inside the Reggia’s galleries. He took part in “Homo Faber” in 2022 in Venice, creating “Lo Studiolo Ornitologico” (The Ornithology Study) for the “Next of Europe” room. Today, his biggest dream is to be able to expand his workshop in order to have more space to teach his skills to aspiring young craftsmen, just as he did with Jonathan, heir to his art and trade.
