Why it belongs in ORBIS
Florence bespoke shoemaker founded in 1953 by Sicilian-born Calogero Mannina; the Oltrarno workshop near Ponte Vecchio and Palazzo Pitti, now run by son Antonio, still hand-produces made-to-measure men's and women's footwear.
Mannina was founded in 1953 by Calogero Mannina, who left his hometown of Santa Margherita di Belice in Sicily at age eighteen to open a small cobbler's workshop in Florence. The business began on Via de' Barbadori and today operates from Via Guicciardini 16/R, in the Oltrarno district a short walk from the Ponte Vecchio and Palazzo Pitti. Antonio Mannina, Calogero's son, now runs the workshop, continuing entirely handmade production of bespoke and made-to-measure shoes.