This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
The most famous styles
It goes without saying that elegance and class are never out of fashion.
But who creates the shoes for the people who create style?
Film stars, art and music personalities, high fashion designers, entrepreneurs and aristocrats left the imprint of their feet in the Calzoleria Pertocchi on Via Sistina from the 1950s to the 1970s.
The secret of such success is explained in a few words: simple, authentic elegance, good taste and classicism. These were the four principles from which Tito Petrocchi never diverged. They are also the reason why he was recognised at an international level with the Gold Medal at Munich, Germany, in 1956.
The only “bizarre” twists Tito permitted himself were with the heels he designed, the most famous of which are the Mambo launched by Mangano in the movie of the same name, the “chisel”, his interpretation of stilettos, and the duck beak toe cap for men’s shoes.
Petrocchi’s tradition of style and class in footwear continues to thrive. Bruno Ridolfi, Tito’s nephew, has worked with Calzoleria Petrocchi since the 50’s. Production in the workshop was and remains exclusively by hand using the finest leathers and skins. In addition to our bespoke service, fashionable ready-to-wear models are available for immediate purchase. Petrocchi continues to offer a tradition of timeless style and enduring, classic elegance.
– Mario del Giudice
Ulysses, 1954
Creation of the shoes for Kirk Douglas and Silvana Mangano from the designs by costumier Giulio Coltellacci for the Mario Camerini film Ulysses in 1954.
War and Peace, 1956
Creation of shoes worn with Maison Gattinoni costumes for Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer, leading actors in War and Peace directed by King Vidor in 1956.
Mambo, 1954
Silvana Mangano, a Petrocchi client, wore our shoes during her famous dance in the 1954 film Mambo. Tito Petrocchi created an original heel for her shoes. He thinned the short dance shoe heel, giving it a stiletto profile, to produce an elegant shoe which would be comfortable enough to dance in. The heel has become known as the Mambo.
Once Upon a Time in America, 1984
The director Sergio Leone, a loyal client, rang Bruno one day in January 1984 to announce that he was sending someone very special to the Calzoleria for our shoes. Our new client was Robert De Niro.
The result of that meeting were the famous two tone shoes worn by the actor in Once Upon a Time in America, created in the Petrocchi workshop.