About
The carrier.
Official Carrier is a design, hospitality, art and music company in Puglia. A cultural producer, not a single-service agency.
A project can start as a space to design, become a place to stay, host an exhibition and end with a concert, shaped by the same team and the same point of view. We deliver curiosity, inspiration, education and pure joy, in physical places across the Valle d'Itria and on a platform where the artists, objects and stays can be discovered from anywhere.
Founded in 2026, fifty years after Apple Computer was founded, Viking 1 landed on Mars, Rocky premiered in the Cinemas and JVC built the first VHS recorder. We start from the same instinct, that a small group working far from the centre can set a new way of seeing.
The founder
Michele Arnese
Born in Puglia. Designed in Italy.
Assembled in Germany.
Puglia gave him the light, the materials and the instinct for hospitality. Italy trained his eye for design, art and the way objects live in rooms. Germany gave him the structure to turn a vision into a company that runs.
Before Official Carrier, Michele founded amp, the world-leading sonic and music branding agency, with offices in Munich, Berlin, London, Dubai, New York and Los Angeles. In 2023 amp was acquired by WPP. The same rigour, now applied to a place.
How we work
Local first
Materials, makers, come from Puglia and meet world musicians, artists and designers in a curated melting pot rooted in Valle D'Itria.
Small scale, high care
Few rooms, few guests, few shows a year. Every project gets a long lead time, and an extreme care from all our team and partners.
Contemporary, not nostalgic
Tradition is a starting point, not a costume. A Detroit DJ can close a night in the 300 years old Trullo, a 5000 years old type of wheat can be used to cook for a design trend buffet.
Slow seasons
From mild spring with the first events, to a dense summer of stays and events, and a cozy fall where you can still jump into the sea, to the quiet winter for building, restoring and producing.
Who we work with
01
Travellers who want to stay in a designed space and meet the people behind it
02
Brands looking for a Puglia setting for launches, shoots and retreats
03
Artists, designers and musicians seeking a residency, a show or a stage
04
Owners who want a masseria or palazzo brought to life with a unique design, art and music taste
05
Galleries, fairs and festivals that want a partner on the ground
Easier to enter.
Harder to forget.