During her trip to Italy Daphne visited the corporate offices at Gruppo Cordenons SPa in Milan, Italy.Pictured above from left to right Rafaella Demichelis United States Area Manager, Daphne, Ricardo Tassini Corporate Director of Marketing and Daphne's son Nicholas Phillips.
Nick and I truly felt this was the trip of a lifetime. We've done a fair amount of traveling, but it's only the second time that we've gone to Europe. And we LOVED Italy!
Our short stay in Milan was an adventure as we attempted to get to the Duomo di Milano by tram. Riding on the tram without knowing how to pay for the trip, didn't bother the driver a bit plus it gave us a nice tour of the city. We loved walking the roof of the Duomo where the view was wonderful and seeing the architecture up close was spectacular.
Our visit to the Gruppo Cordenons headquarters office was another treat. What a gracious group of people, they made us feel very welcome and we enjoyed discussing paper and marketing with them. Lunch at a local café introduced us to Italy’s wonderful pizza with its’ thin crust and light toppings. My biggest challenge was keeping the baby tomatoes from rolling off when I tried to take a bite!
I think my favorite moment in Milan was when we saw Il Cenacolo, "The Last Supper" painted by Leonardo da Vinci. As a Christian, I was very moved by its’ beauty and meaning.
Massimiliano Zichittella was delightful as a companion and driver. He and Nick chatted all the way to Portobuffolé where we stayed at the lovely Villa Giustinian. I dozed off and on in the back seat while still adjusting to the time change. Europe, unlike the U.S., has so many old and beautiful buildings. The villa was absolutely lovely, and was our favorite place to stay during this trip. Max entertained us with a gourmet dinner and introduced me to grappa, actually several types of grappa!
Another highlight of the trip was visiting the mill in Cordenons. Christoph Kalbhenn, your mill manager, provided us with so much information about the mill's history and the paper making process. It was Nick's first mill tour and my second. The beauty, uniqueness and quality of the paper that Gruppo Cordenons manufactures is impressive, as is your fashion client list! It was also a pleasure to meet Carla in your sample department. Both Christoph and Carla were generous with their time and hospitality.
Of all the cities, Nick and I loved Venice the most. It was like a Disneyland for adults and we enjoyed walking between the rows of shops and cafés, over bridges, and down alley ways. Late one evening we discovered a trattoria with a one-man band playing salsa music. The locals that were having a celebration got us up to dance with them. What lovely people!
Florence was a charming city and very hot! We saw the statue of David and beautiful paintings in the Galleria Dell'Accademia, ate the best steak dinner at Trattoria Mamma Gina, walked the Pontevecchio and along the Arno River. Naturally we also found time to do some shopping. Nick left the following day and I took the Hop On Hop Off bus tour of the city. It went up to Fiesole and ended at the Pitti Palace. Finally there was only time left to walk the Boboli Gardens. I'm so glad that I was able to see the statue of David while there. It was another of our favorites.
I thank all of the gracious people at Gruppo Cordenons for the gift of a fabulous trip to Italy! I had no idea I would fall in love with Italy and I can't wait to return!
Daphne's entry was designed using our Plike and Stardream grades. Brown Plike Cover was used for the cover of the brochure and foil stamped to match the custom created Stardream Copper envelope.White Plike text was used for body of the brochure and printed four-color with one hit of metalic ink. This brochure is an excellent example of how well Plike performs on press.
Entries Recognized
for
Design Excellence
We received so many entries that showcased the versitility of our papers that the judges decided to recognize entries for their Design Excellence in five categories:Invitations, Coordinated Images, Greeting Cards, Brochures and Packaging. Our panel of Judges were: Riccardo Tassini, Veronica Gnochhi, Valentino Ferri, Daniele Mendini, Emanuele Pensenato, and Mauro Miglioranzi. We would like to thank the judges for their time in selecting these wonderful examples of Design Excellence.
E.R. Design, Newport Beach, Ca.
