Across the Years and the Miles
Pane Perso began as a family venture - Angelo in the basement of his family's house, trying his hand at home improvement projects, small toys and similar things. That was until a 1978 Elmer's Glue ad caught his eye - no not because of a NEW! STICKIER GLUE!, but for the rocking horse displayed in the advertisement. After writing to Elmer's for the plans for the horse with no luck, Ange set out to reverse engineer it! After some trial and error, our Cavallo Lavianese was born in Zionsville, Indiana. Ange started making horses for our friends and neighbors, all of which are still intact today and look as stunning as ever!
Since day one Angelo created these pieces of art purely out of enjoyment of the craft and the satisfaction that comes with watching a child's face light up. It's this that keeps us going and creating in our workshop...bringing about that infectious joy that seemingly only our youth can conjure up today. When family, friends, and customers share their experiences with us, we are overjoyed and we want to share those experiences and smiles with you - check some out below!
Daniel from Brooklyn loves his wooden toy train, il treno carrozza motore, the first in a set of 6! He's one lucky with a great Uncle who spoiled him on Christmas Day!
Abe in Indiana loves his beautiful l'elefante rocker - his Dad said he couldn't wipe the smile off of his face after catching him riding his wooden rocking elephant he dubbed "Hot Dog" every 15 minutes or so on Christmas morning!!
Leo from Indiana has a big cheesin' grin on his face as he rocks out on his Mom's Cavallo Lavianese! This wooden rocking horse was one of Angelo's first and has been enjoying life in Indiana for over 30 years - two generations have been able to enjoy this rocker....so far! How's that for aging gracefully?!
Phoebe is obviously incredibly STOKED for her La Rana - wooden rocking frog! She gives Louie's rocking technique a run for her money!
Our cousin Tina with her original Cavallo Lavianese from 1978!!!
And here she is with her daughter, Bella, the next generation of rockers!
Our outspoken spokesgirl, Louie, showing everyone exactly how rocking is done on La Rana!
Mr. Phillip Giarrizzo with our wooden replica of the ACTUAL battleship he was on in World War II! Mr. Giarrizzo and his nephew bumped into us at our booth in Rhinebeck at a show and immediately recognized his former floating home! We sent him the battleship so he could show off to his buddies at his reunion in Nashville in 2018! Godspeed Philip!
Emilia in Colorado loves her il Bosco Volpe, she's a natural!
And we can't forget about Jillian and her very own l'elefante as well! What a cutie!
Check back often as we update with more stories from family and friends, and of course, smiles!
Baci i abbracci,
Matt and Ange