Bottega Campitiello

Sign of the workshop "Bottega Campitiello" in Stio Cilento (Salerno - Italy)

Signature in pyrography

Domenico Campitiello

Tuning a chitarra battente with amplifier.

Corner of an old wine-cellar in Stio Cilento (Salerno - Italy) - exhibition of sculptures and guitars

Sound hole of a chitarra battente in preparation, soundboard in mulberry wood

Models of guitars in preparation: Bean, Battente, Ilvolo

Round with drawer

Marquetry and bas-relief with leaves and daisies. The base is a jewelry box drawer.
Woods: chestnut, mulberry, hornbeam, mulberry and maple.

Round table with marquetry in progress

Segreté made of walnut - restored

Detail of the sound hole of the guitar Ilvolo

Chitarre battenti in construction

Domenico Campitiello

Description of a chitarra battente in a conference in 2005.

Cilento senza parole (Cilento without words) and Tralcio d'uva (Grape shoot)

Bas-reliefs on panels made of chestnut wood

Ninna nanna contadina (Peasant lullaby) and Rinascere (Revive)

Bas-reliefs on panels made of chestnut wood

Arte nel legno (Art in the wood)

Sculpture made of cypress wood (sold)

Round table in walnut with marquetry

Round with drawer

Marquetry and bas-relief with leaves and daisies. The base is a jewelry box drawer.
Woods: chestnut, mulberry, hornbeam, mulberry and maple.

Writing desk in cherry wood

Domenico Campitiello

Viento ca sona

Brothers Campitiello performing at the "Festa della Castagna" in Stio Cilento (Salerno - Italy) - exhibition of guitars and sculptures

Viento ca sona

A book written by Domenico Campitiello.
Memories, stories, traditions, a collection of all the lyrics by Campitiello brothers and more.

To purchase the book you are invited to visit or contact directly la Botteoga Campitiello.

Proverbi

A collection of more than 300 proverbs from Stio Cilento and surroundings.

To purchase the book you are invited to visit or contact directly la Botteoga Campitiello.

Viendo ca sona

Work in progress...

Viendo ca sona

Before the final touches.

Lectern made of chestnut wood
in the church of SS Pietro and Paolo in Stio Cilento (Salerno - Italy)

Collection of sculptures in the Bottega Campitiello.

Owl

Sculpture in cherry wood.
34 x 13 x 10 cm.
Year: 2018.

The sword in the log

Sculpture in mulberry wood.
It is made from a single piece of wood
without any joint.
106 x 33 cm.
Year: 2020.

Portrait of Padre Pio

Bas-relief on chestnut wood.
37 x 29 cm.
Year: 2010.

Portrait of Padre Pio

Bas-relief on chestnut wood.
37 x 29 cm.
Year: 2010.

San Pasquale Baylon

Bas-relief on chestnut wood
and marquetry (eucharist) in white holly wood.
The wood of the tablet dates back to 1780 (approximately),
and it was recovered during a restoration (1980)
of the main door of the church SS. Pietro and Paolo in Stio.
Measures: 57 x 29 x 5 cm.
Year: 2020.

San Pasquale Baylon

Bas-relief on chestnut wood
and marquetry (eucharist) in white holly wood.
The wood of the tablet dates back to 1780 (approximately),
and it was recovered during a restoration (1980)
of the main door of the church SS. Pietro and Paolo in Stio.
Measures: 57 x 29 x 5 cm.
Year: 2020.

Studio of a bas-relief
executed on a panel of chestnut wood

Torsione libera
Free twist

Sculpture made of cherry wood

Torsione libera
Free twist

Sculpture made of cherry wood

Torsione libera
Free twist

Sculpture made of cherry wood

Torsione libera
Free twist

Sculpture made of cherry wood

Illusione della liberta'
Illusion of freedom

Sculpture made of mulberry wood

Illusione della liberta'
Illusion of freedom

Sculpture made of mulberry wood

Ninna nanna contadina
Peasant lullaby

Sculpture made of chestnut wood

Per te and per gli altri
For you and for the others

Sculpture made of cherry wood

The ascia
The axe

Sculpture made of mulberry wood.
Single piece, no joints.

The ascia
The axe

Sculpture made of mulberry wood.
Single piece, no joints.

Un'idea sbagliata
A wrong idea

Sculpture made of mulberry wood

Rinascere
Revive

Bas-relief made of chestnut wood

La sciarpa
The scarf

Sculpture made of acacia wood

La spia
The spy

Sculpture made of acacia wood

Cilento senza parole
Cilento without words

Bas-relief made of chestnut wood (detail)

Domenico Campitiello in the workshop starting the bas-relief of "Mani cilentane" (Hands from Cilento)

Mani cilentane
Hands from Cilento

Sculpture made of oak wood
(placed in the elementary school
in Stio Cilento, Salerno, Italy)

Mani cilentane
Hands from Cilento

Sculpture made of oak wood
(placed in the elementary school
in Stio Cilento, Salerno, Italy)

Carved hand of a bishop's pastoral staff

Exercise on fir wood

Cristo senza croce
Christ without cross

Sculpture made of walnut

Bas-relief of Samuel Hahnemann

Made of chestnut wood (sold)

Bas-relief of Samuel Hahnemann

Made of chestnut wood (sold)

Monstrance

Mosaic technique with olive, maple, mulberry and pear woods.

Bas-relief on a panel of chestnut wood

Mani in preghiera
Praying hands

Sculpture made of cherry wood

Arte nel legno
Art in wood

Sculpture made of cypress wood (sold)

Mamma con bimbo
Mother with child

Sculpture made of peach wood

Artistic objects in wood

Il chiodo
The nail

Sculpture made of peach wood, single piece, no joints

Il chiodo
The nail

Sculpture made of peach wood, single piece, no joints

Lost

Sculpture in cherry wood.
115 x 32 x 26 cm.
Year: 2014.

Memories comes back

Sculpture in chestnut wood.
87 x 57 x 14 cm.
Year: 2013.

Ears of wheat

Sculpture in acacia wood.
62 x 23 x 10 cm.
Year: 2013.

Title: What about now?

Sculpture in cypress wood.
88 x 47 x 24 cm.
Year: 2020.

Pinocchio (me… a liar?)

Sculpture in cypress wood.
72 x 45 x 45 cm.
Year: 2018.

Pinocchio (me… a liar?)

Sculpture in cypress wood.
72 x 45 x 45 cm.
Year: 2018.

It comes back to mind

Sculpture in chestnut wood.
56 x 25 cm.
Year: 2005.

It comes back to mind

Sculpture in chestnut wood.
56 x 25 cm.
Year: 2005.

The three graces by Botticelli (Primavera)

Bas-relief on chesnut wood.
122 x 75 x 6 cm
Year: 2020.

The three graces by Botticelli (Primavera)

Bas-relief on chesnut wood.
122 x 75 x 6 cm
Year: 2020.

Collection of sculptures in the Bottega Campitiello.

Chitarra battente made of mulberry wood and walnut

Tuning a chitarra battente

The first copy
of a 'chitarra battente cilentana'
(model De Luccia, on the right,
dating back to the early 1900s)
remade after almost 100 years
in the Bottega Campitiello.

Chitarra battente with flat back plate

Chitarra battente - soundboard in mulberry wood

Chitarra battente - sides in walnut

Chitarra battente - soundboard in mulberry wood

Chitarra battente - sides and soundboard in walnut and maple wood

Chitarra battente - head with head tuner and strings

Chitarra battente - head with head tuner and strings

Chitarra battente - soundboard

Chitarra battente with flat back plate

Chitarre battenti in construction

Slatted back plate of chitarra battente

Chitarra battente with amplifier

Chitarra battente - amplifier

Chitarra battente - back plate and amplifier

Chitarra battente - wooden sound hole

Chitarra battente made of maple wood and red fir wood

Chitarra battente made of maple wood and cherry wood

Chitarra battente

(finished in 2016)
Sides in cherry wood, back plate in flowering ash (fraxinus ornus),
soundboard in fir wood retrieved from a piece of antique furniture 100 years old,
fingerboard in walnut, handle in chestnut. Shellac coating.

Chitarra battente

(finished in 2016)
Sides in cherry wood, back plate in flowering ash (fraxinus ornus),
soundboard in fir wood retrieved from a piece of antique furniture 100 years old,
fingerboard in walnut, handle in chestnut. Shellac coating.

Chitarra battente

(finished in 2012)
Sides in cherry wood, slatted back plate, soundboard in spruce,
fingerboard in walnut, handle in chestnut. Shellac coating.

Chitarra battente

(finished in 2012)
Sides in cherry wood, slatted back plate, soundboard in spruce,
fingerboard in walnut, handle in chestnut. Shellac coating.

Chitarra battente

(finished in 2016)
Sides in cherry wood, back plate in flowering ash (fraxinus ornus),
soundboard in fir wood retrieved from a piece of antique furniture 100 years old,
fingerboard in walnut, handle in chestnut. Shellac coating.

Chitarra battente

(finished in 2016)
Sides in cherry wood, back plate in flowering ash (fraxinus ornus),
soundboard in fir wood retrieved from a piece of antique furniture 100 years old,
fingerboard in walnut, handle in chestnut. Shellac coating.

Electric guitar battente - model n° 2

Body: chestnut and apricot woods
Neck: apricot wood
Fingerboard: walnut wood
Diapason 59 cm, 3 wired pick up selector switches.

Electric guitar battente - model n° 3

Body: mulberry wood
Neck: cherry wood
Fingerboard: walnut wood
Diapason 59 cm, 1 pick up volume / tone controls.

Electric guitar battente - model n° 2

Body: chestnut and apricot woods
Neck: apricot wood
Fingerboard: walnut wood
Diapason 59 cm, 3 wired pick up selector switches.

Electric guitar battente - model n° 3

Body: mulberry wood
Neck: cherry wood
Fingerboard: walnut wood
Diapason 59 cm, 1 pick up volume / tone controls.

Estate - Summer

Bas-relief on a panel of chestnut wood

Autunno - Autumn

Bas-relief on a panel of chestnut wood

Autunno - Autumn

Carving in progress on a panel of chestnut wood

Carved panels made of chestnut wood, bas-reliefs "Cilento senza parole" (Cilento without words) and "Tralcio d'uva" (Grape shoot)

Carved panels made of chestnut wood, bas-reliefs "Ninna nanna contadina" (Peasant lullaby) and "Rinascere" (Revice)

Ninna nanna contadina
Peasant lullaby

Bas-relief on a panel of chestnut wood

Rinascere
Revive

Bas-relief on a panel of chestnut wood

Cilento senza parole
Cilento without words

Bas-relief on a panel of chestnut wood

Tralcio d'uva
Grape shoot

Sculpture made of chestnut wood

Ninna nanna contadina
Peasant lullaby

Sculpture made of chestnut wood

Cilento senza parole
Cilento without words

Bas-relief made of chestnut wood

Le quattro stationi
The four seasons

Front door with bas-reliefs

Le quattro stationi
The four seasons

Front door with bas-reliefs on panels of chestnut wood

Le quattro stationi
The four seasons

Front door with bas-reliefs on panels of chestnut wood

Bas-relief on a panel of chestnut wood

Domenico Campitiello carving on wood (early '80s)

Guitar Avgó

Cherry, maple and
toulipier wood. Three strings.
In Greek avgó / αυγό means egg.
Size: 44 x 13 x 5 cm.

Guitar Avgó

Cherry, maple and
toulipier wood. Three strings.
In Greek avgó / αυγό means egg.
Size: 44 x 13 x 5 cm.

Sanding the soundboard

Plugging the handle on the soundboard

Models of guitars in preparation: Bean, Battente, Ilvolo

Bean guitar

Guitar Ilvolo - front part

Guitar Ilvolo in profile

Guitar Ilvolo - head

Test of the guitar Ilvolo

Chitarra Canterina n° 1

Soundboard: mulberry wood
Back of body: maple wood
Neck: walnut wood
Fingerboard: walnut wood
Diapason 59 cm, 4 double strings.

Chitarra Canterina n° 2

Soundboard: cherry wood
Back of body: maple wood
Neck: cherry wood
Fingerboard: walnut wood
Diapason 59 cm, 4 double strings.

Guitar Canterina
models n° 1 and n° 2 in profile

Test of the guitar Canterina

Bean guitar

Bean guitar in profile

Bean guitar, head "Campitiello"

Bean guitar

Small round table with flowers

Made in cherry wood.
Marquetry in walnut, olive,
hornbeam, plum tree woods.
Height: 80cm
Diameter: 60 cm

Small round table with flowers

Made in cherry wood.
Marquetry in walnut, olive,
hornbeam, plum tree woods.
Height: 80cm
Diameter: 60 cm

Corner cupboard in walnut with exhibition of sculptures: on the left "Illusione della liberta'" (Illusion of freedom) in mulberry wood and on the right "Tralcio d'uva" (Grape shoot) in chestnut wood

Corner cupboard in walnut with exhibition of sculptures: on the left "Illusione della liberta'" (Illusion of freedom) in mulberry wood and on the right "Tralcio d'uva" (Grape shoot) in chestnut wood

Table "fratini" in chestnut wood

Antique furniture

Chest in olive wood marquetry

Sink made of maple wood - before restoration

Sink made of maple wood - restored

Writing desk in cherry wood

Corner cupboard in cherry wood

Cabinet in walnut

Round table in walnut with marquetry

Corner cupboard in walnut

Antique furniture from Cilento area

Segreté made of walnut - restored

Segreté made of walnut - restored

Signature in bas-relief on oak wood

"Lutherie" is the art of building or repairing string musical instruments. The historical capital city of lutherie is Cremona in North Italy: the most famous violin makers in the world (Nicolò Amati, Antonio Stradivari etc.) were born in this city.

In South Italy, the art of lutherie was not widespread, but since the second half of 18th century, travelers and migrants coming mainly from North Italy brought in their villages new musical instruments including some particular kind of guitars. Slowly somebody became interested and began to build a few rudimental copies of this instrument, sometimes also changing the original shape. That's how lutherie was born in South Italy and essentially it was based on the building of the so-called chitarra battente: it was a special musical instrument that first appeared in Sicily and Calabria, then finally in the Cilento area and Apulia.

The chitarra battente (in Italian "strumming guitar", however "battente" literally means "beating" related to the fact that this guitar thumps the rhythm of the music) was built in an elementary way by artisans, in fact there were no real luthiers. Along with mandolins and classical guitars, this instrument was not built to be sold, but peasants used it to have fun between themselves: that's how many popular songs from Cilento were born and nowadays are almost forgotten.

In the first half of the 20th century, there were some popular luthiers in Cilento: the brothers De Luccia from Casigliano in Sessa Cilento. They started the official story of the chitarra battente cilentana. However, between 1945 and 2000, the building of this musical instrument was abandoned and almost all of the culture created around it was forgotten with the advent of the organetto (that is a popular Italian folk instrument similar to the accordion).

In several decades of activity, Domenico Campitiello has conducted an important research for the revaluation of the chitarra battente cilentana, rediscovering all the features of this unique instrument and many forgotten popular songs.

Studying some old models, today in the Bottega Campitiello the chitarra battente is rebuilt in its original shape and also in a new variation, the so-called model Campitiello. The culture created by this simple unique instrument is rediscovered continuously with old songs and traditions.

Currently Domenico Campitiello is one of the last luthiers in Cilento National Park.

One of the first guitars built
by Domenico Campitiello (early 70s)

Classical guitar made in the workshop Bottega Campitiello

Domenico Campitiello and exhibition of his guitars

Exhibition of chitarre battenti