Here's an open-ended question for you Italian pen collectors ......................

Spouse will be going to Italy in early March. I've dropped hints the size of watermelons that a nice gift would be a fountain pen made in the country she will be visiting.

Qualifications: Money, time.

Kathy is an art teacher and will take a trip to Italy over spring break. Areas she will visit are mostly in ski areas (where the Olympics are nearing completion). Also, a brief side trip to Venice (emphasis on brief).

Thus, areas where she will visit may not be the best to locate good deals on fountain pens because they are tourist areas where prices tend to be much higher. I don't expect -- or want for Kathy to take much time searching for fountain pen deals when skiing and visiting art museums is the primary justification for going.

However, I thought that if Kathy had a list of pens to watch for, that she could take a quick look if she happened to come across a pen place that looked interesting.

That's why I am asking your help. I have only a basic idea what to look for in an Italian pen.

Here's some basic criteria:

Cost: Not to exceed approximately $200 US. Based upon today's exchange rate, that converts to 167½ Euros.

Quality: I like a good quality pen. Quality is more important than appearance, though appearance is desirable.

So, there's your assignment: Advise a couple of pens to watch for (also pens to avoid). If you have a sense of a price range to look for, please indicate that, also. I'm sure there are lots of school pens out there that any business would be happy to sell for a hundred Euros but wouldn't go for ten Euros to a local buyer.

Ideas & suggestions would be most appreciated.

David

Quite a number of brands to choose from: Delta, Ancora, Signum, Filcao, Stipula, Omas, Visconti, Aurora, Lalex, Marlen, Columbus, Nettuno among others.

I have a few Italian pens by Aurora, Filcao, Signum and a Ducati (Aquila). All are solid well made pens, my favourites being Signum and Filcao.

If I were to go to Italy with a $200 budget for a pen, I would most certainly look for a Signum such as De Divina Proportione Doric in blue resin.

Pic from Giardino Italiano


However, I would also consider looking for a pen that isn't available (or at least very difficult to find) in North America. That way it would be a special pen to remind me of my visit to Italia.

Hi David,

Apollo mentioned all the Italian pens I know already, so I can't help you there. Although Venice is a tourist are, so is the rest of Italy anyway, and prices as they are in Europe, it will be hard to find a pen at a deal that comes close to anything you may be able to purchase in the USA.

However, to get a better idea, you may want to have a good look at the pen sites of Giardino Italianao and of Novelli Pipes and Pens in Rome.
Giardino Italiano
Novelli, Rome

This should give you at least some idea of the possibilities .
As she is in Northern Italy, visits to Turin and Milan especially may be worth her while. Milan of course is a fashion centre extraordinaire, with many fashion shops, and it has one of the most famous pen stores in the world:
Ercolessi, Corso Magenta 25.

In Turin you have
Musso Stilografiche, Via Lagrange 32/c;
Monasterolo Stilografiche, Via Cernaia 24;
La Stilografica, Via Nizza 1;
Quill, via Monte di Pieta 17

You can also look here for shops in Italy (the above come from this page): Glenn Marcus' European pen shops page

HTH, warm regards, Wim

Ah, Wim, E.E. Ercolessi in Milano was the place where I bought my first FP of value, a Waterman Executive EF in brown speckled laquer (spent something like DM 200 converted to Italian Lire), in the hot Italian summer of 1986

My sticker from '86 says as address: Corso Vittorio Emanuele 15 - the top posh street in Milano. Did they really move away from such a place?

Hi saintsimon,

Yes, it looks like they moved; I just checked the Italian Yellow Pages to make sure .

I see there also is a Pineider, and another 20-odd fountain pen stores in Milan. And in Turin there are quite a few too.

Warm regards, Wim

It must be my personality (I like oddities), but I agree with Apollo on this one. Try to find something that you don't normally see over here (or on the internet).

Yes they moved. The property had become so valuable and they got an offer they could not refuse. I loved their store in Corso Vittorio Emanuele II.

Was that the classic "either your signature or your brain on that contract" kind of offer?

(In my best Godfather voice): I maki-e yuh a offuh yuh can't refuse!



I too may be heading to Italy in the fall - that link to Glenn's store review was a very informative read!

Good pen hunting David!

Edit: I'll be looking for old Tibaldi and OMAS pens - maybe some antique store hunting? Are antique stores a good place to hunt for pens in Italy?

It is always worth to ask Mr. Dunois for a Tibaldi, otherways I have found that Italian pens are cheaper in US than in Europe. E.g. Omas Arco Brown is listed at 850 euros that is more than 1000$. Filcao has a lot of pens for under 200$ and maybe you can visit their factory.

Give your wife a break. Buy an Italian pen yourself over here (most likely for a much cheaper price), and let her enjoy herself without feeling guilty about not getting you your pen.

When I went to Europe, I planned to get some locally made pens, but found everything much cheaper in the U.S.

Shopping this side of the pond is bound to be expensive with sales tax in the 15% to 20% region across the E.U. Always worth checking in the store if goods can be bought tax free for export, even though this is unlikely.

No wonder there should be lots of packages waiting for me when we next visit our Florida holiday home!

Peter

GREAT ANSWERS and most appreciated.

My sense of what I'm reading is that you can find some good deals in Italy if you know where to look and what to look for. Knowing the merchandise and what constitutes a reasonable price range is a prerequisite to getting something you really want. Finding something in Italy which is not available in the US would be a great prize but the challenge is knowing enough about the subject to be able to identify a great pen at a great price.

Otherwise, deals are just as good, if not better on this side of the Atlantic.

Kathy will have a jam-packed trip so I'm reluctant to put too many obligations on her.

After reading your excellent and informative messages, I'm inclined to suggest that if Kathy has the time to check out a pen store and one is nearby, take a look. Otherwise, enjoy the trip and don't worry about searching for a gift.

David

The stores mentioned are good ones (ehmm.. I think I provided Glenn Marcus with that info, a long time ago..) but the truth is that the prices are better in the U.S., especially if you shop on the net.
Italian (and European) prices are a lot higher, and then you have to add VAT (although you can get that reimbursed). With the high value of the Euro, I no longer buy pens in Europe for my own use.

Unless she's a pen nut herself, and will instantly recognize a bargain or an oddity, I think it would be a bit of a strain on her to look for a major pen.

If she wants to bring you something back, there's a nice range of attractive paper available in a number of stores in Florence (some kind of chain, forgot the name -- should be similar in Milan) or those attractive twisted glass pens that are useful for trying inks. That should be easy to do, and take her into a nice store, and not turn into a Quest.

Best

Michael