My favorte Italian pen is my Omas Paragon old style simply because it is such a darn good writer,one level above everything else.

If I could choose 2 more I'd say next is my Aurora Nobeli because it is a very good writer and a real unique pen with its safety mechanism and wonderful design.

Third I'd chhose my Visconti Copernicus,this pen has the combination of great design,unique cressent filler and is a wonderful writer.

I do not have many Italian pens, and those I have are vintage. I would say my favorite would be the Aurora 88P. I like the hooded nib and the ink capacity of the piston fill.

Phil

Hello Goodguy,

I have only 2 italian pens so the choice is not very representative but my favorite is my Omas Bologna (older model). I love the nib, the look is very classy, it has very good balance and the vegetal resin is really warm to the touch!

Omas Emotica.

At this point I only have Montegrappa Symphony and Omas 360, Ogiva and a milord arte italiana. Of these, the 360, which is the old style large one which, I understand, has a Paragon nib, is clearly my best writer. So I guess I'm with you!

My favorite (modern) Italian pen would be the classic 1990's Omas Celluloid (faceted Paragon size) fountain pen; especially the black&white Galileo is very appealing to me.

Also the later Special Edition "Lucens Extra" is very nice (same shape but differently colored celluloid).


Michael

This is a difficult question for me to answer. I have a number of Italian pens and the majority of them are very good writing pens that are comfortable in my hand and have proven to be durable writing instruments. But, as usual, the object of the exercise is to pick one pen to be a favorite.

I think my favorite pen model is the Stipula Eturia. I have several examples (though nothing like wim's collection) and I will no doubt buy more. That particular model has a size and shape that fits my hand like it has been customized just for me. The weight and balance are outstanding. I have both piston fillers and c/c fillers, and both function flawlessly. There is also the wonderful aesthetic appeal of these pens. They are truely works of art.

I love Stipula nibs, especially their factory italic nibs. To me they are more sharp stubs than classic italics, but they write so well I have the italics on all but one of my Etrurias. The ink flow is consistent and wet. I sometimes have to hold a nib under a brief drizzle of water to get it started if it has sat for a while, but that requirement does not bother me. Once primed, the nib is reliable and ready for a full day of writing.

On the other hand, my favorite individual pens are my Stipula "Nettuno 'Idra,'" and "Nettuno 'Superba.'" To them I might add Suzanna's Giardino Italiano anniversary LE, which is a clone of the "Idra." All three of these pens are made with a rich moss green celluloid that is incomparable in its depth and beauty. All of them are excellently crafted works of art, and uniquely shaped pens that are a treat to hold. The nibs are each unique and wonderfully crafted as well. They are based on vintage designs and have a vintage look and springy feel that is a joy to write with.

I have said a lot, but it was still a difficult exercise.

I own several Italian fp...I'm Italian...
Now I have to say Nettuno Superba for the marvelous celluloid variety of colors and for size and weight. It seems that sometimes vintage fountain pens return to us...

For me it is the Visconti Gold Point n.1 LE. I love the color and depth of the amber "acryloid" of this pen and the engraving on the nib (photos courtesy of Novelli)

I have enough that I don't want to offend any of my precious babies by having to pick one. I have Italian pens from several companies, including Aurora, Signum, Visconti, Ancora, Marlen, and Tibaldi, but the bulk of my Italian collection consists of Stipulas.

Wow what a BEAUT

This pen is gorgeous!

My Stipula Saturno closely followed by my Omas Ogiva. A real dark horse has been my Visconti Van Gogh Maxi; the more I use it the more I like it, especially since SMG tweaked the nib. The nib has a lovely springiness to it; quite unlike my other pens.

Edit: I have three reasons for liking my Stipula Saturno: First, its wonderful nib; secondly, it's made from ebonite; and thirdly, it's a crescent filler. I like my Omas Ogiva for three reasons as well: first, the nib; secondly, the black guillochet pattern; and thirdly, the piston-filler.

A tale of two pens:

On one hand i adore my Stipula Etruria amber as it is the best writer i have.



And then there is my Omas Arco Milord.A good writer yet the color and finish are amazing.



Jim

Nice photos, Mark!

I have only one Italian, a Visconti Metropolis. It's with John Mottishaw, the fine nib's being tamed into a true fine and not a sneaky medium. It's my favorite Italian by default, but I also REALLY LIKE IT!



Edit: Oops, I didn't notice that you got those photos from Novelli. Nice photos, anyway.

Also, the reason I wanted the Metropolis was for the retractable nib. Then, when I got it, I saw that it is a very handsome pen and comfortable in the hand. The ink flow was marvelous -- just that the nib was too big for my lines, but I expected that; I expected to have to send it somewhere for a fine-tuning. (Rimshot.) I'm sure I'll be supremely pleased with it once it comes back from L.A.

Yes, the photos came from an eBay listing of this FP by Novelli. I was lucky enough to win it. It's mine, all mine...

Mark

Well, it's certainly gorgeous!

I almost won a Metropolis on eBay a coupla months ago. I don't even know what I was doing. It was gun metal with a M nib, and I wanted a sterling with a F nib, but I put in a bid that I thought was low (less than $250, I think), figuring I'd be outbid and could think more about whether or not I wanted this particular Metropolis. (I didn't really want to spend the money at the time.)

I was like a lab rat on coke in the last minute and a half, hitting F5 over and over. I was winning the auction! I couldn't believe it! I thought for sure someone would bid more. It was crazy!

With six seconds to go, resigning myself to paying for a pen I didn't quite want, a higher bid saved me. Ack.

A coupla weeks later, I spent about the same getting the Metropolis I wanted from Pam.

So... that's my eBay victory story. I didn't win a pen. Ha ha ha!

But, again, yours is very beautiful!

Thanks. Your eBay story brings back memories of relief for me as well. My enthusiasm got the better of me twice in the last three weeks and I was saved by bids in the last seconds of the auctions. Some times you can be just as happy to lose an auction as to win one.

Mark

Right now my favorite Italian pen is my Stipula Etruria. I have had it for a little over a month now, so I'm still in the honeymoon phase. But it's a great writer and a perfect fit for my hand.

But I am hoping it gets some stiff competition this week as I should finally get to use my OMAS Autuno Bologna that has spent the past six+ months in Mineola, New York and Bologna, Italy. It was sent to Kenro for a simple nib exchange, lo these many months ago, then to OMAS in Italy. But they say its back stateside and coming my way. Yippee.

A very difficult question, since each of my Italians has its own character.
But the favorite is the Delta Dolce Vita OS - a huge pen which writes better by the day.
For the everyday writer it is a close tough challenge between my Aurora Ipsilon, Omas 360 mezzo and Visconti Pericle 2001.

Any of my 6 Omas. All of them are pre LV.

If I had to pick one, it would be a milord with gold trim and in-house Omas 14k F nib from the early '90s

Juan in Andalucía

My Cerruti, see this website for

http://www.etoilecom.fr/docs/cerruti.pdf

I own Italian pens from Aurora, Omas, Visconti, Delta, Stipula, Montegrappa, Ancora, Nettuno, and Filcao. My overall favorite is:

-- Stipula Etruria

Honorable mention goes to:

-- Delta Dolcevita Oversize

-- Aurora Optima

-- Omas Paragon

-- Visconti Opera Master

My favorite Italian pens are the Viconti Voyager and the OMAS 360. Both have flexible nibs and are great writers.

gemu

I own Italian pens from Ancora, Aurora, Omas (it's hiding), Mazzuoli, Nettuno, Stipula, Tibaldi, Visconti.

I thought I'd pick a few. I limited my choices to pens I carried on a regular basis.

Favorite crescent filler:
Stipula Saturno. Runner up: Visconti Millenium Arc.

Favorite piston filler:
Stipula Ventidue. Runner up: Stipula Suprema.

Favorite plunger filler:
Visconti LE Wall Street. Runner up: Stipula Suprema Nuda.

Well, my favorite Italian pen is my Aurora Talentum with a medium nib. It's also my only Italian pen... or should I say that it's my first Italian pen

Bill

My Opera Demo Blue. Normally I dislike F nibs, but I love this one. Somehow it feels less bulky than my Opera Master. My Metropolis would be a close second.

As I only have an Aurora Ipsilon de Luxe, it's my fave. It's a really good pen.

Ditto the amber Etruria as best writer. I have one virtually identical to yours.

For beauty of the celluloid, I have to pick my Montegrappa Symphony turquoise which is almost as good a writer as the Etruria.

Click to view attachment

Stpula Etruria Alter Ego.

1) Great nib the 0.9mm italic

2) The ergonomics of the pen . very comfy grip and barrel

3) Nice celluloid feel

4) Great celluloid rendition

5) piston-fill

Rgds
TMLee

I only have three Italians: two Visconti Van Gogh Maxis and an Omas Bologna. Right now I'm especially proud of the Omas as it's my latest purchase. But, if I had to pick an overall favorite, it would go to the black Van Gogh Maxi. It's a very classy looking pen, nice size, excellent medium-to-broad smooth nib, and I think a great price for what is offered.

I only have two at the moment, Ancora Jules Verne and Visconti Ripple... I use the Ripple more, but like to look at the Ancora more...

I know what you mean about that Ancora. I need to get some blingy carrying case, preferably navy with gold embroidery and a little marine-themed toggle clasp. Or something.

I have two Italian pens, a new Omas Arco Milord and a Visconti Manhattan, circa 1995, although I've only had it for about two years. If the Milord would work, I think I would like it better due to its size. However, as I'ver reported on a couple of other theads, I have just sent it back for the third time in the four months that I've owned it. The first two times it had to bee replaced because it was leaking where the section joins the body. This last time the piston filling mechanism broke. Therefore, by default, I guess my favorite Italian is the Visconti Manhattan. Don't get me wrong, it is a beautiful pen in its own right, and is a very good, but not great, writer.

Without a doubt, Vintage Aurora 88 Nizzoli. In fact, this of all fountain pens this is second only to the Parker 51.

Isn't it basically a 51 knock-off?

C'mon! It's not!!!

You may find why here:
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=53925

Well, it's just my opinion for what it's worth... but a knockoff wouldn't have a flawless piston filler mechanism, a celluloid body and an ink window.
These are the first three characteristic that come to my mind a P51 do not have... yes, the body shape is torpedo, but that is a weak link, isn't?

Try it!!

Regards,

Andrea

Points noted, but I still don't like the looks of it, which means it wouldn't get used.

Yes, of course it's only available in black!

I know that's a major weakness for you... but in the late 40s after war that meant a lower price...

Cheers,

I would have to say the Aurora Optima LE pens are my favorite. Especially the Mare, Sole, and Primavera. The colors are magnificent and they have great nibs.

Hi,

My favorite is the Omas Princess, but my favorite series would be the Aurora 88 (modern 88 full size, Madamin, Duocart, 888)

Dillon

I'd say any of those. And probably my favorites are the Paragons (especially the Arco and the royal blue):

6 nice Omas pens I don't have yet - wonderful collection! Thank's for sharing. I'm working on getting there as well - especially the Galileo and Lucens!
....

Michael

My 1997 Omas 360 Magnum, my 2002 Omas Colonial and my 2005 Omas Paragon Arte Italiana HT Oversize.