Alessandro Vitiello: an embrace called “Moon Open”

Alessandro Vitiello, the bartender who inspired the creation of CIAM’s new station, Moon Open, shares his story—one rooted in true friendship and a collaborative project that brought together multiple professionals to develop a revolutionary product for the world of mixology.

A station designed to make the bartender’s craft accessible to everyone, recently installed at the lounge bar restaurant Donna Clelia in Praiano. This marks the final chapter of a journey where empathy and innovation were the guiding principles. A story that began as a dream—and is now a reality.

Awards, recognition, trade shows, and prestigious collaborations: Moon Open seems to be in the spotlight of the mixology world. What’s your take on that, Alessandro?

I believe it deserves all the attention it’s getting, because for me, it brought to life a dream I had been waiting to realize for four years. I can only thank CIAM and Bruno Vanzan for making it happen. Bruno is my professional and personal role model—the person I look up to. It was he who proposed the idea to CIAM: to create a bartender station designed for someone in a wheelchair, like me. It all started during a fundraising event in Cervia to support my rehabilitation after the accident I had and the eleven months I spent in the hospital. Bruno and I were supposed to work together that night, but it quickly became clear that the available stations wouldn’t allow it. We didn’t let that stop us—we improvised with two tables and created our own “special” workstations. That night, something sparked between us: a promise, a silent pact that took shape a year and a half later when Bruno sent me a photo of a cardboard prototype and invited me to visit CIAM’s headquarters in Umbria. It was a unique experience: a young professional like me, welcomed by a leading brand in the industry! I already knew CIAM’s standards were high, but the moment I stepped into their Petrignano di Assisi facility and saw the smiles on people’s faces, I knew we were about to create something beautiful and groundbreaking. We worked on it month after month, with no filters or hesitation, and I saw CIAM apply all its technical expertise to develop a product tailored to the needs of people like me.

Tell us about one feature of Moon Open that makes you particularly proud.

More than proud, I’d say it makes me feel safe and independent. The 360° rotating platform of the Moon Open gives me full mobility in every direction. People with disabilities like mine often have limited torso and arm stability, so we need to feel supported in every movement. That’s why, to me, Moon Open feels like an embrace—an enclosure that allows me to perform my job at my best, naturally and confidently.

Speaking of which, how did the Moon Open launch go? What surprised you most while working with it?

Considering I served 1,500 drinks in one evening, I’d say the station’s debut was a huge success! The event on June 29, where I officially launched Moon Open, exceeded all expectations. The fact that I could serve so many drinks means the station wasn’t just the highlight of the evening—it enabled a performance that would’ve been impossible without it (and without the help of a great barback, of course). It was a major achievement for someone like me, who believes that true disability lies in the lack of autonomy. When I need help or when my body can’t meet the physical demands of my job, that’s when I feel limited. And that’s exactly where Moon Open steps in. But what truly surprised me wasn’t the station itself—I already knew what CIAM had created. What I didn’t expect was that most people didn’t even realize I was working from a wheelchair. That’s a powerful testament to Moon Open’s innovative design: it puts the focus on my work, not my disability.

What future projects could help make mixology even more open?

Ongoing research and development—like what CIAM and Bruno Vanzan are doing—are essential for the evolution of mixology. But to make it truly open, we need to foster a culture of accessibility in the workplace. We need to shape a new mindset, a new approach where business owners hire a bartender in a wheelchair not out of charity or obligation, but because it creates opportunities for growth, quality, and innovation. Today—thanks to Moon Open—a young professional like me, used to working on self-built stations, can finally express their full potential with tools that offer complete autonomy. And it would be a real shame if I, or others like me, were held back by the past. Because it’s the change—which always begins in our minds—that leads us into the future.