Great Pen Stores - Stores of Note - Italy - Florence - Firenze
Visconti Showroom
via della Vigna Nuova, 69/r
50123 Firenze
Tel: + 39 055 2645274
One of the "must" stops when Florence is the Visconti Showroom. Here you will find a complete selection of Visconti pens.
In September 2008, after I spent time with Dante del Vecchio, President of Visconti at the factory, I ended the day with a visit to the showroom in the exclusive shopping district in the historic centre.
There, the very knowledgeable and personable Silvano Quercia showed me the various lines of pens. If you have any special nib requests, they stock a good selection. Silvano noted that if they did not have the particular nib desired, a call to the factory and that day the specific nib would arrive at the downtown shows room.
Open every day with the exception of Monday. The store opens in the late afternoon on Mondays.
Pinart
via Guicciardini, 2/R
50125 Firenze
Tel: 055-239-8450
Web Site: www.pinart.it
E-Mail: pinart@mclink.it
Last year (2008) when I was in Florence I had the opportunity to visit with Gianni Pineder at the pen store PINART and this year (2009) I wanted to drop by and again say hello. Federico Pineder was in the store and I enjoyed the opportunity to talk with him about the store and pen business.
Their family was previously involved with the Florence PINEDER, company selling the company in 1987. They now have the PINART store located on via Guicciardini in Florence. The PINART store has been open in Florence since 1997.
It is very easy to find, just walk across the Ponti Vecchio and you will see it on the right hand side at the first street that runs to the left along the river.
The store has a good selection of pens in the window, but there is more inside and always ask - as with most of the stores they are more pens to view!
In addition to pens the store has journals, pen cases and paper.
The store is open seven days a week from 9:30 am to 7:30 pm so with those hours it is easy to work in a visit.
Pineider
Piazza della Signoria 13/14R
Firenze
There are Pineder stores located in other parts of Italy, and retail locations around the world, but the Piazza dell Signoria is the flagship store.
Francesco Pineider opened the Florence store in 1774. Today the store remains as a retailer of hand-made papers and stationery, leather goods, pens etc. Their first pen was produced in 1884.
Their 2010 collection is named 1949. Each pen is hand made.