Bulgari — or BVLGARI — was founded by Constantine Sotirios Boulgaris (1859-1932), which was Italianised to Sotirio Bulgari. He began his career as a jeweller at Epirus in Greece before leaving for Corfu in 1877. He moved on to Naples and finally, in 1881, to Rome. Three years later, he opened a shop in Via Sistini, which was replaced by the current flagship store in Via dei Condotti in 1905. The Bulgari signature is often spelt BVLGARI — with a V rather than a U, which is a reference to the classical Italian alphabet.