The Paronelli brand He has been going on for 3 generations since 1945, when Jean Marie Alberto Paronelli He began to draw and create very precious Italian root pipes And appreciated all over the world.
Today, the company of Paronelli pipe It is managed and guided by Ariberto Paronelli, grandson of Jean Marie Alberto, who handcrafts, with great passion, models of revisited classic pipes.
The origins of the Paronelli pipes
For Paronelli pipes are a family passion that was born in 1945, thanks to Jean Marie Alberto Paronelli, born in 1914.
Jean Marie Alberto, just 18 years old, goes to London where, in addition to learning French, English, German and Spanish, he begins to know the world and the art of the pipe, periodically visiting the famous shops Burlington Arcade.
Struggled by this world, Jean Marie Alberto Paronelli becomes a great pipe collector, until he became a consultant for other fans. His first work experience in the pipe field takes place with Leonida Rossi, selling the red pipes in a shop in Milan.
In 1945, the Paronelli brand and Jean Marie Alberto was born, he decided to start his own, drawing and creating the first models of Paronelli pipes for the English market.
Became rector of the Italian Academy of the Pipa, in 1970 Jean Marie Alberto Paronelli decided to set up the First Italian pipe museum In Gavirate, and to found the magazine La Pipa.
The Paronelli brand today
Today, the Paronelli pipes are experiencing their third generation in the hands of Alberto Francesco Paronelli And Ariberto Paronelli, grandchildren of Jean Marie Alberto Paronelli.
Alberto and Ariberto have experienced the activity and passion of family from an early age in the warehouse, in the office and in the museum, led by the compelling anecdotes of the grandfather on the world of the pipe.
Every day, with dedication and commitment, the two brothers work to keep the tradition and quality in the production of pipes high, while looking for innovation, and organizing initiatives and events to spread the culture of slow smoke.
For example, at the pipe museum, the event "is organized every year"Smoking on the Lake"Which collects the most important artisan producers of pipes and enthusiasts from all over the world.
Currently, the Paronelli company produces 800-1000 pipes every year for Italian, American and Chinese markets, and also working on commission.
The importance of the root for the production of Paronelli pipes
For the Paronelli company, The quality of the root comes before anything, and the latter has always been meticulously worked with the same "preparation of the ciocco".
The radical, in fact, is grown in Calabria and Sardinia, and then undergo 3 fundamental steps:
- collection: The root is counted from the ground in winter, when the plant is at rest and is lacking in lymph, with low percentage of tannins. If this process took place differently, the pipe would make the smoke bitter.
- boiling: The boiling is extremely important. It must last at least 24 hours and serves to stabilize and purify the root plate.
- seasoning: The individual root plates are put to dry and season for a minimum of 8 years.
The pipe museum
The Galvirate pipe museum, in the province of Varese, is now known all over the world as the first Italian pipe museum.
It is a private museum, built in the 70s by Jean Marie Alberto Paronelli and belonging to the family still today.
Visiting the museum is completely free, but it is Telephone reservation is required, even if it is currently closed due to the health emergency.
The pipe museum boasts More than 30,000 pieces Between pipes, tools, porcelain, machinery, some of over a century ago, collected by Paronelli throughout his career and divided into 9 thematic rooms distributed on two floors.
In addition, the museum is the official headquarters of the Internationale Académie de la Pipe founded in Gavirate by J.M. Alberto Paronelli in 1984.
