ISSIMO: an immersive Italian experience
All photos courtesy of ISSIMO
by Alyssa Jaffer
If you’ve ever had the joy of stepping inside one of Italy’s chic Il Pellicano hotels, you might think you’ve entered a Pinterest board come to life. Each piece of art, item of furniture, accent colour and decorative detail of the boutique properties is carefully curated to evoke a multi-sensory experience of Italian beauty. The creative spirit behind it all is trendy tastemaker Marie-Louise Sciò, CEO and Creative Director of the Pellicano Group of properties. Her latest brainchild, ISSIMO—an e-commerce and lifestyle platform serving as an extension of the heritage hotel brand—provides access to the best of Italian design, style and aesthetic with a scroll, swipe and tap of a fingertip.
Launched in May 2020, the ISSIMO moniker comes from the Italian suffix ‘issimo’, added to an adjective to heighten its meaning to ‘extremely’ or ‘remarkably’. It’s fitting, as adding a little something extra is at the core of the brand. “Exceptional and absolute, ISSIMO is the final word and the embodiment of the Italian quality of life and love for the very best, most interesting and even off-beat in food, fashion, art, culture, design and travel,” according to their brand guide.
Navigating ISSIMO’s digital platform or bi-weekly newsletters—which are inspired by vintage Italian newspapers—you’ll find content categorised into six key pillars: “Bellissimo (artisanal homeware and Italian craftsmanship), Buonissimo (culinary tales, sweet and savoury treats and recipes), Chicissimo (fashion and apparel), Coltissimo (editorials on Italian culture and cultural collaborations), Fichissimo (the digital extension of the Pellicano hotels’ souvenir shops), and Italianissimo (the quintessential black book to the twenty Italian regions).”
Scrolling through ISSIMO’s digital collection is akin to having Marie-Louise herself hand-pick her favourite pieces for you from a tiny Tuscan boutique. Each artisan and collection featured on the platform, such as Yolo Journal by Yolanda Edwards, is curated by Marie-Louise for its unique connection to Italy, with ISSIMO considering itself a “cabinet of Italian excellence.”
More than an e-commerce site, ISSIMO offers an online window into the Il Pellicano, Mezzatore and La Posta Vecchia hotels, a way to immerse yourself in authentic Italian artisanship and style, and a means of revisiting elements of your Italian holiday at home—all year round.
“We are continuously looking for excellence and high quality to bring our customers new standards in what is considered 100% Made in Italy. Each item is picked with love, designed with passion and exceptional craftsmanship,” Marie-Louise noted at the ISSIMO launch.
ISSIMO was a passion project born during—and nearly derailed by—the pandemic. In the brand’s inaugural Instagram post, Marie-Louise told its story: “We have been working on this for over a year and then came March. The world stopped and Italy was in excruciating pain, taking a very big hit. For weeks I was paralysed, scared, uncertain and wondering if it was even appropriate to launch this project until my deep patriotic sense kicked in, hard, and so did the love I have for my job and the extraordinary team I’ve been working with for years. Passion is the fuel that kept us going during this painful worldwide shitshow…
“ISSIMO is a burning passion for beauty and love of quality of people, places and things and deep love for this country which offers it all. So here we are… The much dreamed of digital extension of Pellicano Hotels is here. An immersive journey into our culture, philosophy and taste. Consider it the destination for anything Italian.”
The latest summer collection featured artisanal treasures such as NasonMoretti’s handcrafted Murano glassware; a partnership with Tanner Krolle reimagining the Annabel Vanity Bag in Il Pellicano yellow; styled looks by Fortela; Gragano pasta from Pastificio dei Campi and more.
Explore the world of ISSIMO and you’ll transport yourself to the pinnacle of modern Italian elegance, style, decor, food and travel—è bellissimo.