25 expat voices: Attilio Tuis Berto

Expat: Attilio Tuis Berto

Attilio Tuis Berto

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Ana Prado

We asked our 25 featured expats if they have a specific Mexico “moment” or memory—something that always makes them think, “Yep, this is home,” or “That’s what I love about this place.” View Slideshow >>

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Business: Madatti Muebles

Email: madatti@gmail.com

Originally from: I was born in Udine, a city near Venice in Italy.

Lives in: When I first arrived in Mexico I lived in Tlalpan, in the south of Mexico City. But as I prefer to live in small cities, I moved to Cuernavaca, world-renowned as the city of the eternal spring.

Living in Mexico: I arrived in Mexico in September of 1973. By 1977 I was established in Cuernavaca.

Why did you move to Mexico?

I got a scholarship in the restoration of painting and artistic pieces at the Institut Paul Coremans, ex-convent of Churubusco. I instantly fell in love with this country, its people, culture, history, and way of life. After I finished this specialization, I started doing restoration on paintings, mainly from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries.

Tell us about Madatti and your work as a furniture maker and artisan. How did you get started?

A friend asked me if I could design the furniture for a hotel that he was about to open in Cuernavaca. I was eager to give it a shot. We were a group of five people, and I was amazed by the enthusiasm. I had heard about the "magical hands of Mexican artisans," but it was not until I worked with them that I realized this well-known truth.

In 1986, I created the brand Madatti to produce furniture made with high quality woods that reflects the talent of a highly valued group of carpenters, wood-carvers, and painters. Concepts of Italian, Spanish, and Mexican designs and forms are combined in Madatti's furniture, which has been widely embraced in the national and international markets. I have worked for tourist developments furnishing hotels, and business centers, stage settings, and private residential decoration.

It's also a business that contributes to the Mexican economy by employing fifteen carpenters-artisans. For me the social capital is the most important. And we've implemented environment-friendly practices throughout our production chain, from the moment the wood arrives until it has become a final piece.

What other organizations, activities, or hobbies are you involved in here?

I give myself time to paint and to exhibit my paintings in galleries.

Do you have a specific Mexico "moment" that makes you think, "That's what I love about this place"?

I feel part of this country. This is the place where I started a family, where I got married, where my daughters were born and raised. What can I say? I've been living here longer than in my country of origin.

What are both the best and the hardest things about being an expat in Mexico?

Actually, I don't feel like an expat. I'm an Italian living in Mexico. I have a successful business and a beautiful family that supports me. The hardest thing sometimes is being far away from your loved ones. But that's also part of life.