Chapter 23 Pastorelli and the Finest Years of My Work
In the fall of 1986, my life took another unexpected turn. Thanks to Medardo Maseroli, I met Alberto Pastorelli and was given the opportunity to represent Ceramiche Pastorelli throughout the Benelux. Alberto was a co-owner of the Ceramiche Pastorelli group. Half of the company belonged to Alberto and his sister. The other half was owned by their three cousins. It was therefore a true family business, in which tradition, craftsmanship, and responsibility were passed down from one generation to the next. The first time I saw their collections, I immediately understood that they were far more than simple ceramic tiles. Every collection had a character of its own. Special attention was paid to the colors. The surfaces. The finishes. But above all, to quality. Once again, I felt like the young sales representative who, years earlier, had discovered the world of espresso.
Only now, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee had been replaced by the smell of clay and glaze, and by the heat of blazing kilns. From the very first day, I promised myself that I would not be merely a representative. I wanted to be a partner. To the factory. To the importers. To the architects. To the tile dealers and installers. I wanted everyone to feel that they could rely on me. Alberto gave me all the freedom and responsibility I needed to do that. He entrusted me with the assets of his company. The quality of its products. The Pastorelli name. Its customer relationships. And the development of the brand in the Benelux. That trust was priceless to me. Alberto had a wonderful personality. Despite his position within a major ceramic group, he had remained a humble and approachable man. He listened. He showed respect.
And he understood that a good collaboration rests not only on figures and contracts, but above all on mutual trust. Our collaboration was held in very high regard throughout the ceramic industry. Not only in the Benelux. Even many Italian competitors knew and respected the way Alberto and I worked together. Everyone could see how well we complemented one another. Alberto knew the factory, the production process, and the possibilities of his collections. I knew the Benelux, its customers, and the best way to present Italian products there. Together, we formed a strong team. It meant long days. Very long days. Every morning, I left home early. On some days, I drove hundreds of miles. From Antwerp to Luxembourg. From Ostend to Maastricht. From Brussels all the way to the north of the Netherlands. When most people had already finished their day, I was often still writing reports or preparing the next day’s appointments.
Yet I never considered those endless miles a burden. Quite the opposite. My car had become my second office. It was where I thought. Where new ideas were born. Where I prepared my conversations with customers. And sometimes I drove for hours in silence, watching the landscape pass by while thinking about the future. Alberto came to Belgium three or four times a year. Together, we visited our customers throughout the Benelux. We listened to their experiences. We discussed what was working well and what could be improved. But his visits were also important moments for thinking about the future. We spoke about new collections. Colors and sizes. Changing tastes in the market. And projects we wanted to develop together. Those meetings were never merely professional obligations. They brought us closer and strengthened the trust that had grown between us over the years.
With Alberto Pastorelli, mentor and friend.
One of the tile displays I had made for shops and showrooms.
It did not take long for me to notice that many showrooms failed to do justice to the beauty of Italian ceramic collections. Boxes were stacked one on top of another. Samples lay everywhere. Architects had to try to imagine what a floor or wall would look like without being able to see the final result. I found that especially unfortunate. A beautiful tile deserves a beautiful presentation. So I began developing new display systems myself. I made large wooden panels onto which complete tile compositions were carefully glued and grouted. They were no longer mere samples. They were complete presentations. An architect could see the harmony among the colors. A dealer could show customers what the final result might actually look like. Today, that may seem perfectly natural. But at the time, it was an innovative way to present ceramic products. I devoted countless hours to finding the best compositions.
Choosing the right grout color. Perfecting every detail of the finish. I wanted each panel to tell a story. When I later saw such a presentation in a showroom, I perhaps felt the same satisfaction as an artist standing before a completed work. Not because my name appeared anywhere, but because I knew it would help people make a better choice. Little by little, other Italian manufacturers also began taking an interest in the way I worked. They saw how I represented Pastorelli in the Benelux. They noticed how I presented the products. How I built relationships with customers. And how I tried not only to sell a brand, but to give it a genuine place in the market. More and more manufacturers wanted me to introduce their brands in the Benelux alongside Pastorelli.
That was a great compliment. It meant that my work was not going unnoticed. Even so, my collaboration with Alberto and Pastorelli remained very special to me. The trust he placed in me formed the foundation of one of the most important and fruitful periods of my professional life. I did not merely sell products. I actively participated in their development. I passed on what customers told me. I reported which colors were increasingly in demand. Which sizes architects preferred. And which technical aspects I believed could be improved. I no longer felt like a simple representative. I had truly become a bridge between Italy and the Benelux. On one side were the Italian factories, with their craftsmanship, creativity, and technical knowledge. On the other were the importers, architects, dealers, and installers in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. My mission was to connect those two worlds.
Later, large modern tile display units were also made for the showrooms.
Unfortunately, very few photographs of those complete displays have survived.
I did not merely have to translate the language. I also had to understand the mentality, expectations, and needs on both sides. That trust grew year after year. And with it grew my network of human relationships. I met entrepreneurs who became lifelong friends. Architects who continued calling me whenever they needed advice. Importers who no longer saw me simply as a supplier, but as a genuine partner. To me, that was the greatest reward. Not only the sales figures, but above all the trust. Alberto, like Medardo, contributed greatly to the remarkable success I was fortunate enough to experience for more than fifteen years. Medardo had shown me the door to Pastorelli. Alberto then gave me the trust and freedom I needed to walk through it and fully develop my own abilities. Each in his own way, both men hold an indelible place in my professional life.
When I think back on those years today, I still feel the same warmth in my heart. They were intense years. Years of hard work. Thousands upon thousands of miles on the road. Countless encounters. But they were also years in which I rose every morning with enthusiasm, because I felt I was building something meaningful. Not only for myself. But together with so many other people. Even today, Alberto and I are still in contact. The years have passed. Our professional lives have changed. But the respect and admiration we feel for one another have remained. Perhaps that is the finest proof that our collaboration was always based on far more than business. It was built on trust. On loyalty. And on a sincere appreciation of one another as human beings.