Luigi Ercoli Violin 2011 Mod. Ant. Stradivari 1715, Firenze, Italy

LUIGI ERCOLI

Luigi Ercoli was born in Vignanello (Viterbo) in 1956. He became involved in violin-making as an autodidact, starting to construct a classical guitar in 1991 after moving from Bologna to Pistoia with his wife Piera Ducceschi.

In Pistoia in 1992, he met Guido Maraviglia who encouraged him to take up the study an construction of stringed instruments. His association with Maraviglia's workshop would last from 1992 to 2000.

During that time, he made approximately 15 instruments, and completed a number of instruments starter by the maestro, who was inactive for the final 5 years of his life, the last 3 violins in fact being signed by both of them.

The year 2000 signaled the beginning of intense collaboration with Gabriele Natali, and he also met Paolo Vettori,from whom he has received invaluable advice during these years.

He now concentrates almost exclusively on bowed instruments using classical molds as well as his own and inspired above all by the violin making of Tuscany and Bologna.