My activity as a pipemaker began in 2009, stimulated by a passion for wood carving and collecting. While buying a pipe, I was intrigued by a pre-drilled plate placed on the bench. They gave it to me; why not try? It all started as a self-taught, with basic tools (gouges and sandpaper) and some rudiments stolen from the web. Following the meeting with established Italian and international pipemakers, a more rational approach began.
To give emotions, a pipe must first be built correctly. In particular, thanks to the advice and teachings of Gabriele dal Fiume as well as Mimmo Romeo and other masters, I learned and refined the construction techniques, I learned to read the briar, I studied aesthetics, I looked for a modern approach that also aroused the interest of the younger generations.
My pipes, made entirely by hand, range from classic to modern and freeform shapes, which I intend to revisit with a distinctive and personal touch. There is a strong incentive to develop, in addition to a good manufacturing technique, my own style, my own philosophy.
I pay a lot of attention to the choice of the quality and texture of the briar; none of my pipes are subjected to filling and I work with briar that has been seasoned for at least 6 years. For the mouthpieces I use cumberland bars or NYH or SEM ebonite. The shapes and colors are designed to enhance the flame or the partridge eye. I like to embellish them with inserts or extensions made of the most diverse materials such as horn, bone, warthog tusk, bamboo, woods of various origins.
The finishes range from natural smooth or contrasting to sandblasted or rusticated. The pipe calls you and seduces you by observing it, appreciating its shape, its finish, the details that can make the difference in an elegant, distinctive object, never banal because it is destined to become a mirror of your character, your personality, your way of being.
The aim is to obtain harmonious, balanced and well-proportioned shapes that combine functionality and practicality of use as in the case of the so-called stand-up pipes. The pipe, especially the support one, enhances the gesture, the ritual, the slow and calm rhythm in contrast to the frenetic world: it is there next to you, waiting for you, following your times, your thoughts, your commitments.
Maybe one day it will go into other hands but it will remain part of my time, of my being.