Montegrappa
Encyclopedia
Montegrappa is the oldest Italian
manufacturer of fine writing instruments, founded as "Manifattura pennini d'oro e penne stilografiche" ("Maker of gold nibs and fountain pens") in 1912. Their products are still manufactured in their original factory by the shores of the river Brenta
, in one of the parts of Bassano del Grappa
- near Vicenza
, in the North-East of Italy
.
During the First World War Bassano was a centre of military operations. Among the many soldiers who used the company's pens (Elmo
at that time) for their correspondence were two celebrated 20th century writers, Ernest Hemingway
and John Dos Passos
, who had both volunteered for service as ambulance drivers.
In the 1930s the company enjoyed its most magnificent phase. It was a period when the fountain pen
became widespread and the products of the house of Bassano met the taste of the public with their sober design
, the variety of their colours and materials (among the first to use celluloid
and galalith
), the perfect operation of their technical solutions, and the originality and precision of their manufacturing techniques.
The Montegrappa company is owned by Aquila's family and the ex F1 Ferrari driver, Jean Alesi
is also a partner and a member of the board for P.R. and communication.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
manufacturer of fine writing instruments, founded as "Manifattura pennini d'oro e penne stilografiche" ("Maker of gold nibs and fountain pens") in 1912. Their products are still manufactured in their original factory by the shores of the river Brenta
Brenta River
The Brenta is an Italian river that runs from Trentino to the Adriatic Sea just south of the Venetian lagoon in the Veneto region.During Roman era, it was called Medoacus and near Padua it divided in two branches, Medoacus Maior and Medoacus Minor ; the river changed its course in early Middle...
, in one of the parts of Bassano del Grappa
Bassano del Grappa
Bassano del Grappa is a city and comune in the province of Vicenza, region Veneto, in northern Italy. It bounds the communes of Cassola, Marostica, Solagna, Pove del Grappa, Romano d'Ezzelino, Campolongo sul Brenta, Conco, Rosà, Cartigliano and Nove...
- near Vicenza
Vicenza
Vicenza , a city in north-eastern Italy, is the capital of the eponymous province in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, straddling the Bacchiglione...
, in the North-East of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
During the First World War Bassano was a centre of military operations. Among the many soldiers who used the company's pens (Elmo
Elmo
Elmo is a Muppet character on the children's television show Sesame Street. He is a furry red monster and currently hosts the last full 15 minute segment on Sesame Street, Elmo's World, which is aimed at toddlers. His puppeteer, Kevin Clash, uses falsetto to produce his voice...
at that time) for their correspondence were two celebrated 20th century writers, Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
and John Dos Passos
John Dos Passos
John Roderigo Dos Passos was an American novelist and artist.-Early life:Born in Chicago, Illinois, Dos Passos was the illegitimate son of John Randolph Dos Passos , a distinguished lawyer of Madeiran Portuguese descent, and Lucy Addison Sprigg Madison of Petersburg, Virginia. The elder Dos Passos...
, who had both volunteered for service as ambulance drivers.
In the 1930s the company enjoyed its most magnificent phase. It was a period when the fountain pen
Fountain pen
A fountain pen is a nib pen that, unlike its predecessor the dip pen, contains an internal reservoir of water-based liquid ink. The pen draws ink from the reservoir through a feed to the nib and deposits it on paper via a combination of gravity and capillary action...
became widespread and the products of the house of Bassano met the taste of the public with their sober design
Design
Design as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
, the variety of their colours and materials (among the first to use celluloid
Celluloid
Celluloid is the name of a class of compounds created from nitrocellulose and camphor, plus dyes and other agents. Generally regarded to be the first thermoplastic, it was first created as Parkesine in 1862 and as Xylonite in 1869, before being registered as Celluloid in 1870. Celluloid is...
and galalith
Galalith
Galalith , is a synthetic plastic material manufactured by the interaction of casein and formaldehyde. Given a commercial name derived from the Greek words gala and lithos , it is odourless, insoluble in water, biodegradable, antiallergenic, antistatic and virtually nonflammable.-Discovery:In...
), the perfect operation of their technical solutions, and the originality and precision of their manufacturing techniques.
The Montegrappa company is owned by Aquila's family and the ex F1 Ferrari driver, Jean Alesi
Jean Alesi
Jean Alesi is a French racing driver of Italian origin. His Formula One career included spells at Tyrrell, Benetton, Sauber, Prost, Jordan and most notably Ferrari where he proved very popular among the tifosi...
is also a partner and a member of the board for P.R. and communication.