Ecological Memory from Pacentro
MAL X SETTEUARCIATE
A collection of handbags that began with the land.
Hides tanned in Pacentro, forms shaped by its architecture,
each piece carrying the ecological memory of the place it came from.
Dimensions: 40cm/15.75” x 13cm/5.25”
Strap Length: 35cm/13.75"
Hardware: Silver
Zip closure
External Material: Goat hide from Abruzzo
Internal Material: Cotton blend from Italy
Strap Material: Vegetable tanned cattle leather from
Northern Europe, tanned in Tuscany
Hand made and mineral tanned in Pacentro
Strap Length: 35cm/13.75"
Hardware: Silver
Zip closure
External Material: Goat hide from Abruzzo
Internal Material: Cotton blend from Italy
Strap Material: Vegetable tanned cattle leather from
Northern Europe, tanned in Tuscany
Hand made and mineral tanned in Pacentro
Dimensions: 34cm/13.5” x 15cm/6”
Strap Length: 52cm/20.5"
Hardware: Silver
Snap closure
External Material: Goat hide from Italy
Internal Material: Cotton blend from Sulmona
Strap Material: Vegetable tanned cattle leather from
Northern Europe, tanned in Tuscany
Hand made and mineral tanned in Pacentro
Strap Length: 52cm/20.5"
Hardware: Silver
Snap closure
External Material: Goat hide from Italy
Internal Material: Cotton blend from Sulmona
Strap Material: Vegetable tanned cattle leather from
Northern Europe, tanned in Tuscany
Hand made and mineral tanned in Pacentro
Dimensions: 39cm/15.5” x 17cm/6.75”
Strap Length: 53cm/20.75"
Hardware: Silver
Zip closure
External Material: Goat hide from Abruzzo
Internal Material: Cotton blend from Italy
Strap Material: Vegetable tanned cattle leather from
Northern Europe, tanned in Tuscany
Hand made and mineral tanned in Pacentro
Dimensions: 47cm/18.5” x 26cm/10.25”
Strap Length: 47cm/18.5"
Hardware: Silver
Snap closure
External Material: Goat hide from Abruzzo
Internal Material: Cotton blend from Italy
Strap Material: Vegetable tanned cattle leather from
Northern Europe, tanned in Tuscany
Hand made and mineral tanned in Pacentro
Dimensions: 19cm/7.5” x 13cm/5”
Strap Length: 53cm/21"
Hardware: Silver
Snap closure
External Material: Goat hide from Abruzzo
Internal Material: Cotton blend from Italy
Strap Material: Vegetable tanned cattle leather from
Northern Europe, tanned in Tuscany
Hand made and mineral tanned in Pacentro
THE RESIDENCY
The start of spring in Pacentro with setteuarciate, learning mineral tanning from Francesca Farris, being woven into this land and its people by Mia Frances LaRocca. I spent time working with hides, watching them mirror the landscape around me…the colors of earth and stone finding their way into the leather, the land leaving itself in the work. The thought that kept returning was that reality that everything we carry was once living, and in some way still is. I am so grateful to have spent this time here, to be reminded of the meaning an object holds when we create this way: connected, together, and with intention.
READ MORE ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE AT setteuarciate
Mia Frances LaRocca is a biological anthropologist by training and beekeeper by practice, she is the host of setteuarciate an artist residency in Pacentro that centers ecological relationships.
setteuarciate is an artist residency based in the mountains of Abruzzo, in the medieval village of Pacentro.From April through October, setteuarciate hosts seven artists.
Those interested in visiting in 2027 can apply through the annual open call, launching on July 22. Subscribe to the setteuarciate substack to receive notifications.
setteuarciate offers annual membership which provides access to exclusive events and updates from the residency throughout the season.
Francesca Farris is a culinary anthropologist, aspiring shepherdess, and maker studying heritage food ways and craft traditions as they manifest across the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia.
Her research brings ancestral knowledge and living tradition together with the tangible processes with a focus on hands as conduits of memory.
Drawing from both her agricultural background as well as her anthropological studies, Francesca aims to create and sustain an evolving craft and culinary archive using a mix of writing, photography, and shared experiential practices.
She lives in Sicily where she directs and curates the curriculum for Cook the Farm, a 6 week-long course that gives participants a deep understanding of the island’s food systems.