Born in Naples in 1876, Armando Altavilla was a student of Francesco Verzella, who was in turn connected to the Gagliano family tradition.
Altavilla is therefore characterized by a genuine continuity with the Neapolitan style, whose typical models he interprets. His work is simple and spontaneous: the edge is flat with a shallow fluting, and the purfling is lighter in colour than that of other makers from the same school. The sound holes follow a pattern inspired by the Gaglianos, and the head also has a typically small scroll on a fairly straight pegbox. The varnish is usually of a light orange-amber colour.
