stile_manifattura — Ruffano · Puglia
In the heart of Salento, in Ruffano, Paolo Davide Pappadà keeps alive a craft that only a handful of workshops in the world still practise: the working of red copper and brass according to age-old rules, handed down from father to son across generations. He is the only artisan in Salento still keeping this tradition alive.
The Pappadà family's craft tradition is measured in generations, not years. Paolo Davide learned from his father every gesture: the hammering, the chasing, the repoussé and the finishing that turn a sheet of metal into a living object. This is knowledge that cannot be learned from books, but only by standing beside someone who already knows.
On the workbench take shape pieces with no equivalent in mass production: chased chandeliers, kitchen hoods, cookware, fireplace accessories. Every object is built to measure for whoever commissions it, following the traditional techniques of antique copper. No piece is ever the same as another, because no hand is ever the same as another. The workshop on via Santa Maria di Leuca is where every commission takes shape.
Alongside creation, Pappadà also practises the art of restoration: bringing back to light copper and brass objects that once graced family homes, restoring their original warmth. It is work that demands patience and memory, requiring the same technical mastery as creating a piece from scratch, with the added responsibility of staying true to the original.
The Rame Rossa Pappadà page contains details of the workshop, the catalogue of works and the contacts needed to order or commission a bespoke piece.
