The art of Lace – Merletto – originates from a love story. A romantic legend tells that a long time ago in Burano lived a young fisherman named Nicolò, engaged to Maria, a local girl he loved madly. A few days before the wedding, the young man was in the high seas with his boat and was tempted by the fascinating singing of the Mermaids; but since he was newly betrothed, Ulysses resisted the persuasive call and remained faithful to his beloved. The Queen of the Mermaids, impressed by the fisherman’s strong fidelity, swung her tail to strike the side of the young man’s boat, lifting a dazzling mass of foam that formed a magnificent wedding veil, a finely embroidered lace. On the wedding day, Nicolò gave the precious veil to his bride: this gift aroused so much admiration that the women of Burano, with needle and very delicate thread, learned to make a fabric that would be worthy of the wedding gift of the fairy tale. From this tradition, different variations of the art of lace were developed in numerous Regions of Italy (as can be seen in numerous provincial museums). Our Merletto collection honours this tradition by drawing inspiration from it for its own designs.