Pen World v32.4

The Renaissance
BY NICKY PESSAROFF
Pen Brand
Italy’s Visconti Pens is only 31 years old, but its
values harken to the Florentine Renaissance.
On May 2, 1519, Leonardo da Vinci—the model for what we call a “Renaissance
Man”—passed away at Clos Lucé in France. An apocryphal story even says that
King Francis I of France cradled Da Vinci’s head as he died. This year marks the
500th anniversary of the death of the painter/sculptor/engineer/scientist/architect.
Like Da Vinci, Visconti’s roots are in the Florence area of Italy, a cradle of the Italian
Renaissance. Visconti began in 1988 as a new fountain pen brand rooted in Italian traditions.
The brand made a name for itself early on with a series of urushi pens. In the 1990s and
2000s, the company boomed as it introduced technical innovations such as a double-reservoir
power filler; the Visconti clip, inspired by the Ponte Vecchio bridge in Florence; the 23 karat
palladium Dreamtouch nib; the Hook-Safe Lock capping mechanism; and best-selling series
like the Opera, the Wall Street, and the Van Gogh.
A year ago, Visconti turned another page in its history: leadership was transferred to a new
CEO. Francesco Poggesi, a native of Florence, brings multiple decades of experience in the
European luxury market. His pedigree includes serving as an executive for the Gucci Group,
Salvatore Ferragamo, and Boucheron luxury watches and jewelry.
“I was born and grew up in Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance,”
Poggesi says. “I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to
work for a writing instrument company like Visconti.”
The New CEO believes that Da Vinci’s example permeates
Visconti writing instruments and accessories: “Leonardo Da
Vinci was the perfect example of how art and science can
form a perfect human union. With the same harmony,
Visconti combines technical know-how with a uniquely artistic
vision, thanks to the manual skill of its craftsmen and the
intuition of its creative team.”
Poggesi calls his team of creative craftspeople
“architects,” an apt name for a group of artisans
who are directly influenced by the art and architecture
of Italy, where the Golden Ratio has
been studied since the time of Euclid and
ancient Greek culture.
Left—Visconti Leonardo Da Vinci Machina with
rose gold trim, uncapped and capped. Right—the
Machina presentation box is based on Da Vinci’s
sketches of an icosahedron, found in Da Vinci’s
Codex Atlanticus.
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