Collecting and Curiosity with Umberto Pasti

Cabana's new online talks are a space for inspiration and connection, inviting our audience into the soul of Cabana. Read on for an insight into the second event where Martina Mondadori and Umberto Pasti discussed collecting, gardening, 17th-century tiles and spaghetti in a wide-ranging conversation full of inspiration and laughter.

BY LUCREZIA LUCAS | THE EDITOR'S CIRCLE  | 10 OCTOBER 2024

For the second instalment of the Editor’s Circle - a series of online talks where Editor-in-Chief Martina Mondadori sits down with inspiring creatives and tastemakers - Martina hosted a fascinating conversation at her Milanese apartment with her close friend, the writer, collector, and horticulturist, Umberto Pasti. 

From the intimacy of Martina's Milan apartment, the warm, engaging conversation was a window into the world of two friends who embody the spirit of Cabana: beauty, heritage, and the art of living. The conversation touched on a wide range of topics, from Umberto’s love for Amarna sculpture and Safavid inspired 17th century tiles, to his fondness for "simple, real food" like shepherd’s pie and spaghetti. 

Martina began by asking Umberto how his journey began. "I was going to antique dealers when I was 10, 11 years old," he recalled. "I collected early toys, which were made before the first war... then I discovered a feather headdress in a little junk shop, brought back to Italy from Brazil in the late 19th century. I fell in love and decided to sell my collection of toys to buy a collection of feather headdresses."

Umberto mused: “I’m not interested in aesthetics alone – it’s about hearing the voice that tells the object’s story, the story that seduces you.” Martina agreed: “Every single object, whether it’s a ceramic, a tile, or a textile, carries with it the lives it’s touched.” Umberto also emphasized the importance of curiosity in his collecting and creative process. “You need to be curious, to explore, to discover. Every time you see something, you learn something, so you have to have the curiosity of a child,” he said.

Martina declared Umberto's homes, “by far the most original, the most special, the most everything”. As images of Umberto’s beloved homes in Milan and Tangier appeared on screen - the latter the subject of his book The House of a Lifetime - the lively discussion flowed between architecture, gardening and collecting.

Umberto, who splits his time between Morocco and Italy, also shared his passion for his famous project, the Garden of Rohuna. “We have the largest collection of Moroccan wild plants,” he said, explaining how the garden’s impact extends to community development, including restoring schools and planting trees. “I want the garden to become autonomous, so when I’m gone, it will still exist.”

Highlights: Audience Q&A 

Umberto, what are your five most beloved plants?

UP: "When I was younger, I used to love and hate plants. Now, I only love plants. So, it is very difficult, but at the same time very easy. I would say: Irises, Daffodils, Tulips, Fritillaries and Crocuses. So, five bulbus. I am addicted to arranging plants."

Do you have a favorite interior designer?

UP: "I don't know much about interior design, but I love Robert Kime. I mean, I never met him, but I love him, I love his work. I used to see him in the countryside with Christopher Gibbs. I love his rooms. I think perhaps the most fantastic person for arranging rooms at the moment, even if it's not his 'work' [as an interior designer], is [the antique dealer] Peter Hinwood, who was Christopher's partner."

Is there an object you've been searching for, or that you dream to own?

UP: "Yes, of course. I have a passion for Amarna sculpture, and I would love, you know, the heretic pharaohs of the 18th dynasty. I think, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, there's a little mouth of an Amarna princess in a wonderful yellow stone, but it's already in the Met. I keep on saying, thank God I'm a collector of small things, because all the good stuff is already in museums."

A moving reading from Umberto's latest book, Eden Revisited, brought the conversation to a close; an excerpt where he describes his dream of creating “small, peaceful worlds suspended in time”. As Martina teased the next Editor’s Circle, with designer Michael S. Smith, this intimate dialogue left the audience with a sense of having been invited into the hearts and homes of two kindred spirits.