A terracotta mask is not a souvenir. It belongs to an ancient tradition, the apotropaic masks of southern Italy: objects made to protect, to ward off evil, to hang by the front door with a clear purpose.
 
 
 
In Calabria they have been used for centuries. Masks of the sun, the moon, the winds, the goddesses: shapes tied to the earth, the sky and the seasons. They weren't decoration; they were a presence. Having one on the door or wall meant something, to those who saw it and to those who hung it.
 
 
 
Each one is handmade by Maurizio in his workshop in Altomonte. The clay is worked by hand and the decoration painted before firing. No two masks are identical: same shape, same hands, but each piece carries the mark of its moment.
 
 
 
Hang it on the wall, by the door, in the kitchen. Or give it to someone you want to protect.
 
 
 
An ancient object, still alive. Carrying a story longer than ours.