Visintini Gaidano Violoncello da Spalla Makers

Daniela Gaidano - Alessandro Visintini luthiers

Our story begins in the world of symphonic music.

After many years as professional orchestral musicians, performing with ensembles including the Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano and Trento, the Orchestra del Teatro Olimpico di Vicenza, and the Arena di Verona Orchestra, we discovered our passion for the art of lutherie through the courses of master luthier Cecilia Piazzi in Trento.

Daniela later joined Dmitry Badiarov's training program, where she explored the construction and history of the Violoncello da Spalla. Fascinated by both its remarkable history and its unique musical potential, we soon moved from study to hands-on craftsmanship. What began as an exploration quickly became a rewarding and inspiring journey, opening the door to a world we had never imagined.

From there, our research expanded to include a wide variety of historical designs, construction methods, and materials, as well as lesser-known but equally fascinating instruments. Numerous visits to European museums allowed us to study and measure original historical instruments firsthand, deepening our understanding of their craftsmanship and acoustical design.

While the Violoncello da Spalla remains at the heart of our work, we also build historical and modern violins, violas, and cellos. Our workshop is located in Meltina, South Tyrol, Italy.

Before becoming a luthier, Daniela worked for fifteen years as a professional gut string maker for historical and modern instruments. This unique background gives her an exceptional understanding of the relationship between strings and instruments, allowing her to optimize the setup of each instrument with particular attention to tonal balance, responsiveness, and ease of playing, helping every instrument reach its full musical potential.

Beyond lutherie, we are both musicians and martial arts instructors—Alessandro in Judo and Daniela in Karate. Since childhood, we have embraced the Japanese concept of Dō: a lifelong path of dedication, discipline, and continuous self-improvement.

We never stop learning, refining, and challenging ourselves. Only in the evening do we allow ourselves to sit back on the sofa—and enjoy listening to opera.