The idea of an Italian Import business has been something that the founder, Joseph Pietrafitta, has been thinking about for a number of years. His Italian heritage and the culture of his ancestors was very important to him, spurring his many trips to and from Italy. The craftsmanship and artistry of the Italian people attracted him and became a big part of his home in the United States. With this came the idea of bringing some of the beauty that Italy has to offer to the United States.

A product of Joseph Pietrafitta’s love of Italian artistry, Pietrafitta Imports was established in 2012 and launched its official website in February of 2013. The new e-commerce site was custom designed and built by the Twin Cities web design firm, Prime Advertising & Design, to feature the 1000+ imported Italian products available for purchase anywhere in the world. The many products offered by Pietrafitta Imports have been personally selected by Pietrafitta as he has traveled throughout the country. Handcrafted by artisans from the Amalfi Coast to Naples to the Tuscany region of Italy, they are all one of a kind with no two pieces alike. “I wanted it to feel like they were actually visiting Italy while they shopped,” says Roclyn, Prime’s graphic designer for the Pietrafitta project. “This was definitely one of my favorite design projects. Our goal was to create an upscale/classy feel that reflected the high quality of the products, which was done with a selection of elegant fonts and colors. We used a color palette reminiscent of the colors found in the beautiful artisan pieces such as oranges, yellows and greens.” The new site features multiple high quality images of each product, a simple, fluid check-out process for guests and a user-friendly e-commerce system for product inventory and order management.

Soon after the launch of the new website, the company opened its first store-front location in Maple Grove, Minnesota. The shop is teeming with beautiful handmade Italian goods, including hand-carved and hand-painted jewelry, artisan ceramics and pottery, specialty gift ideas and authentic Italian home décor. Stop by their Maple Grove location to view their large selection of Italian imports in person, or just to visit with them about their love for everything Italian!