SimplyAbuDhabi IX

L ast year marked 100 years of world-class pen manufacturing by Italian brand Montegrappa. Stationed within the same factory as it was many years before on the bank of the River Brenta, the river winding through the town of Bassano del Grappa, Montegrappa occupies one of the most picturesque places in northeastern Italy. Founded in 1912 as a ‘manifattura pennini d’oro e penne stilografiche’ (manufacturer of gold nibs and fountain pens) during a turbulent period in Italy’s history, Montegrappa was a by-product of the region’s social evolution. Just as the Industrial Revolution reshaped society in the USA, in Great Britain, France, and other highly developed nations, the transition from the 19th to the 20th century was greeted in Italy with changes in working conditions, especially a large-scale move from the agrarian to the urban. Montegrappa – originally known as ELMO – benefitted from a pool of skilled local talent, a workforce capable of producing finely crafted objects, with style, with panache, and with a drive to achieve excellence. As a result of both its capable workforce and its location, the Bassano factory found itself, almost immediately after its opening, acquiring strategic importance during World War I. Bassano would prove to be a key military position, and it would be marked by notable battles toward the end of the conflict. Montegrappa: An Italian Love Affair with Pens 2 8 4 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I