Our Mission 

Three generations of master weavers

Our mission was born from the desire to preserve the art of Italian artisan weaving, in the heart of Salento.

Gagliano del Capo is a small village in the southern part of Salento, nestled between the sea and the countryside, inhabited by simple, strong people. This is where Tessitura Giaquinto is located — and inside, the Giaquinto family is always at work: father Cosimo, mother Antonietta, and their children Francesco and Katiuscia.

A fairy-tale aura envelops this workshop. A soft cotton dust floats in the air, ready to bring to life the magic of interweaving shimmering threads, skillfully laid on the loom by expert, confident hands that have always worked that way — enriched, day after day, by a timeless craft.

When Cosimo Giaquinto took over from his mother, he chose to preserve the production processes just as they were. So, in the 1980s, when old "shuttle" looms were largely replaced by modern "rapier" machines, he understood that honoring tradition and artisanal labor would ensure better and more unique products in the future.

"Every morning when I arrive and read the plaque dedicated to my mother Francesca — the first woman to lead a company and to be registered at the Chamber of Commerce of Lecce — I think to myself that work isn't always a bed of roses.
If you decide to start a business with your name on it, you realize just how heavy that legacy can be. But the secret behind our drive lies in our family, and the rewards make all the effort worthwhile.
When the simplest thread becomes fabric, and is then crafted into a tablecloth, sheet, or bedspread, you finally feel fulfilled — as if your child had grown up and become an adult, thanks to your guidance."

So each of us has a role to play, just like in a family. The secret to a fine-quality fabric lies in a warp made to perfection. That's why I've passed down the secrets of the old wooden looms from the mid-1900s — which we still use today — to my son Francesco. We reproduce the designs still imagined and drafted by my wife Antonietta — all original Jacquard patterns featuring fruit, flowers, and other motifs. The finishing touches are crafted by expert seamstresses, daughters of this land, transformed by this art into skilled and patient masters. Meanwhile, the commercial side is handled by my daughter Katiuscia, assisted by her husband Rocco.

This is the only way to achieve the highest quality, the uniqueness of each item, with a completely artisanal process and the same spirit we started with — a spirit that renews itself every time a customer chooses Tessitura Giaquinto.