Visconti’s history began in Florence, Italy. A cradle of art and culture, Florence also known for being home to one of the Country’s largest industrial districts for luxury and fashion.
The company is the brainchild of Luigi Poli and Dante del Vecchio, two friends who met in Florence and decided to turn a common passion into business by founding Visconti on October 20, 1988.
On that date, luxury writing instruments began to make their way in a city that was strongly linked to jewelry, leather goods and any other form of art. Over time, Visconti products became iconic pieces that helped to spread Italian values worldwide: design and creativity, craftsmanship and innovation, quality and luxury.
The first collection launched by the company was named “Classic”; the pens were made from celluloid, a noble material used for numerous collections in the following years. The success was such that the next year, in 1989, the company developed “Urushi”, the first limited edition of 100 pieces, made from ebonite and decorated with the complex Japanese Urushi lacquerwork technique. The pens were sold out quickly, confirming Visconti’s expertise and position in the pen market.
In the 1990s the brand gained roaring success in the segment they had recently entered. By providing incredibly innovative solutions, Visconti accomplished major achievements in the writing instruments industry in a short time. These include the High Vacuum Power Filler system (1993), the travel inkwell (1997), and above all the Double Reservoir Power Filling system (1998), which made refilling simpler and tidy with two reservoirs, designed to prevent leakage when necessary – e.g. during air travel.
Mention should also be made of D’Essai collections (1990), crafted from unique 60-year-old celluloid bars with a vintage flair, and Ragtime (1991), whose original glass nib revived an old feature dating back to World War II, when pen parts were made of glass to save gold.
As the new millennium approached, Visconti launched the iconic bridge-shaped clip, making an explicit reference to the ancient Ponte Vecchio, the symbol of Florence. Visited by millions of tourists every year, the bridge is a centuries-old link between two banks of a famous river, a symbol of union and a place filled with flourishing local jewelry workshops. Similarly, the brand’s signature palladium-plated clip was designed to represent a meeting point between two millennia of history, past and present, tradition and innovation, evoking the values that would build the strong, increasingly well-structured DNA of the successful Florentine business.
M (verified owner) –
This pen is AMAZING!!! I’ve never owned a ‘next level’ pen before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The weight, material, writing of this pen is truly sublime. Best of all, I will forever be be purchasing from Dan going forward, as I sent him a video of the exact style I wanted to achieve and he PERFECTLY replicated it. It’s so good that I’m in awe of how it writes compared to my other pens. I 1000% recommend anyone on the fence, get this pen, and get the tune and smooth by Dan. He did a stellar job that so far exceeds my expectations that I could not be happier.
Pamela Chew (verified owner) –
I chose to get this pen from the Nibsmith because I was concerned about factory qc issues.
The pen I received was perfect in every way. Well tuned and a smooth writer out of the box. Highly recommend if you’ve your eye on a pricey pen that Dan stocks, get it from him. That way you know it WILL be perfect as he really is that good at what he does!
Casey Judge (verified owner) –
I was unsure if I was going to like this pen when I had originally purchased it. Since delivery, it has become my favorite fountain pen I own. I am so happy I had purchased this pen from Dan because the nib is tuned and smoothed to absolute perfection. I highly recommend purchasing your Visconti from Dan to ensure you get an amazing pen out of the box!