This we tell you is the story of Sorrento cabinetmaker Enrico Salierno who, in the 1960s, moved to Los Angeles as an import/export entrepreneur.
Years earlier, other Sorrentines had already reached America to find economic prosperity;
Many Sorrento families, in fact, became rich through the export of typical products such as walnuts and citrus fruits.
Enrico Salierno’s fortune, however, was precisely in the art ofSorrentine inlay.
In Los Angeles he opened his company/workshop “Sorrento Specialties,” where he was in charge of importing materials and products typical of the Sorrento peninsula, inlays in primis.
In his workshop, caskets, paintings, small furniture and game tables came to life on which marquetry was applied and-through intricate workmanship-mounted a music box.
Over the years Henry achieved success while always cherishing his beloved land in his heart.
And so, upon his death, he left as a gift to Sorrento and the Sorrento Inlay Craftsmen’s Union a part of his legacy that most connected him to his roots: a very rare collection of music boxes.
These unique pieces were mounted on furniture from both Sorrento and abroad, dated between the 19th and 20th centuries.
Through a delicate transport operation from Los Angeles to Sorrento, the music boxes found a home at Villa Fiorentino for all to admire.
The Salierno Collection
The collection – an evocation of the splendors of ancient Sorrentine art – features artifacts equipped with music boxes all in perfect working order that, when operated, have the charm of taking the listener back in time.
Pieces such as interchangeable music records-the forerunners of vinyls-and clocks mounted inside painted pictures; finely inlaid boxes and richly carved furniture are featured.
The Sorrento Foundation has reserved some rooms in Villa Fiorentino to display the collection titled “Enrico Salierno, artisan of Sorrento. “
In this age of fierce consumerism, the“Salierno Collection” is an invitation to discover and re-discover the beauty of a Sorrento that does not succumb to the seductions of the contemporary.
The essence of Sorrento, then, is at your fingertips and ear: Villa Fiorentino is waiting for you.