A Different Way Of Living

We believe in living simply, slowly, and closely connected to nature. We've watched the world become obsessed with what's "cool" - with contemporary design, hard materials, and mass production that feels cold and disconnected. Too much of what surrounds us is made from plastic and metal, built cheaply and without care for the earth or the hands that make it.

We wanted to push back. To return to what endures. Objects made by hand, from natural materials - like linen, wood, clay, wool - chosen for their honesty and their ability to last a lifetime. Things that grow more beautiful with time and use. In the beauty of a candlelit room, a well-worn linen, a garden in the early morning.

Vicolo Via Mameli is a shop, a brand, and a way of life, born in Milan and now also rooted in the Italian countryside. We work with artisans who believe in traditional craft, sustainable practices, and quality over trends. Everything we offer is built on this foundation—on everything we love.

The Name 'Vicolo'

Vicolo Via Mameli was named for something we both love - those narrow, dimly lit alleyways tucked away from the noise of commercial streets, beautiful and unhurried, that feel like a world apart. As a shop, we want to represent that same feeling: a lifestyle that is functional, simple, and laidback, always warm, always welcoming, and where nature is never far away.

Where It All Began

In early 2020, we found a commercial space on Via Goffredo Mameli and fell in love with it immediately - the room, the light, the beautiful tree-lined street outside. We spent the entire lockdown year planning, researching, and building, waiting for our chance to finally open the doors.

We began by making things ourselves: hand-dipped beeswax candles, classic American quilt patterns sewn from recycled fabrics sourced in India, and table linens with a timeless, honest aesthetic. From there, through antiques with history and patina, and handmade objects with beautiful materials, we built a shop focused on one idea: living simply, and appreciating everything around you.

The Shaker Simplicity

Perhaps the best example of simple living closely connected to nature were the Shaker communities of the United States, which thrived from around 1820 to 1860. Their way of life was built on self-sufficiency and intentionality, growing their own food, constructing their own buildings, crafting their own tools and furnishings, always guided by functional form and honest utility.

That spirit lives in everything we choose for Vicolo Via Mameli. We hope to encourage a more thoughtful way of buying, quality over quantity, an appreciation for beautiful materials, and an awareness of how something was made and by whom.

NICOLA

Born and raised on a farm in the Alps, Nicola grew up surrounded by nature, animals, and the rhythms of the land. That early life gave him something that never left - a deep understanding of natural materials, simple living, and the value of things made with care.

He moved to Milan to study Geography at Università Statale di Milano, then spent years working in the fashion industry, developing a sharp eye for quality, craftsmanship, and the way beautiful objects are bought and sold. He worked with emerging designers and established houses alike -Calvin Klein, Givenchy, Neil Barrett - before joining the luxury multi-brand retailer Tiziana Fausti as a buyer of women's and men's collections.

In January 2020, encouraged by his impulsive American boyfriend, he left fashion behind, moved back to Milan, and began work on something entirely their own.

RYAN

Born and raised in a small village in upstate New York, surrounded by the mountains and forests of the Hudson River Valley, Ryan always knew two things: that he wanted to live in Europe, and that he wanted to find his way back to nature.

From an early age he was drawn to art, design, and beautiful things. He went on to study Fine Arts and Art Direction at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and Architecture at Columbia University, building a creative foundation that would shape everything that came after.

It was a visit to Villa Necchi Campiglio in Milan in 2015 that changed the course of his life. He fell completely in love with the city - its architecture, its light, its pace - and made a decision: he would leave New York and start a new life in Italy. In 2017, he did exactly that. And in those first months in Milan, he met a nice Italian boy from the Alps named Nicola.

Umbria House

In 2020, during the stillness of lockdown, we found a stone farmhouse in the Umbrian countryside that had not been lived in for thirty years. We bought it immediately. Both of us had spent our adult lives in cities like New York, Milan, Berlin, but we had both grown up surrounded by nature, in small towns far from the noise. The pull back to that simplicity was something we could no longer ignore.

We spent three years renovating it slowly and carefully, restoring it to something warm and alive. Now it is where we live, tending the garden, surrounded by the Umbrian hills, managing the business from here, developing our wholesale collection, and visiting the Milan shop every month.
The house taught us something important: that the things worth having take time. That patience and care produce something no shortcut ever could. That philosophy is at the heart of everything we sell.

V.VM - The Brand

To offer pieces that truly represent our idea of simple living - fewer things, made well - we created our own brand: V.VM. Rooted in simplicity, guided by nature, and focused on what truly matters, each V.VM piece is made from natural materials with timeless craftsmanship, designed to be used every day, loved, and kept for years.

From our hand-dipped Tapered Beeswax Candles to our Ceramics, Linens, and Home Candles infused with the scents of the natural world - these are not objects to admire from a distance. They are essentials for a life lived with intention.

From Both Of Us

"Vicolo has somehow felt like a natural culmination of all of our combined experiences, and a true expression of what we believe in and who we really are. It has been so fulfilling already, and we are just getting started."

We are proud to have our Milan shop, our home in Umbria, and in May 2026, we will open our second store in Florence. We invite you to step inside, wherever you find us.

Goditi la Semplicità & Continua a Scoprire.
Enjoy Simplicity & Keep Discovering.