Savinelli has satisfied and impressed generations of pipe smokers everywhere leaf and flame unite. The company has been a touchstone of quality among fine Italian pipes since 1876, when Achille Savinelli opened a shop in Milan and began commissioning carvers throughout northwest Italy to make his designs, later adding his own pipe workshop in the back of the store. It's been almost 150 years since the company's origin, and one-third of those years have been with the participation and under the knowledgeable supervision of Factory Director Luisa Bozzetti.

Luisa is retiring after 50 years of continuous commitment. Her final professional project has been to manage a new series of pipes that represent her years of contributions to the innovation and quality of Savinelli pipes. It's called the Luisa Fiammata series and includes some shapes that have not been made in decades.

Luisa has obviously wielded enormous influence during her career, so much so that her retirement is being recognized with this new series featuring pipes that have been individually and personally chosen by Luisa herself throughout the course of her career. All reveal remarkable grain elevated by either a crisp sandblast or by a fiery smooth finish. They are shapes that Luisa considers especially significant and representative of the culmination of a 50-year career.

Luisa Bozzetti's Impressive Career

That career began when Luisa was 15 and applied for a job with the factory. She knew nothing about pipes at that time but was committed to helping with and learning the different pipe-making stations and wherever else she could contribute. "I started as a simple worker," she says, "and I had the opportunity, during the years, to work directly on all production phases." Before she became Director 20 years ago, Luisa pursued hands-on experience with every stage of manufacture. As she moved from one position to another, she became fully immersed in the myriad details and processes required in crafting Savinelli pipes.

"I improved my dexterity, and, most importantly, I learned to read briar as if it were a written book. I have always been very curious, and I took my time until I understood all the processes." She also learned to know and understand the people working at Savinelli, which was equally vital.

"I have to say that everyone at Savinelli excels in patience, dexterity, skill, talent, attention, and, most importantly, passion. Knowing the characteristics and personalities of everyone allowed me to reorganize the work and experiment with new techniques, shapes, and colors."

The Evolution of Procedures

Savinelli maintains a continuous inventory of briar with superior grain, carefully selected and stored over the years and used for special projects. "Before I was Factory Director," says Luisa, "I had to abide by specific guidelines when pre-selecting briar for this inventory, and the Factory Director would confirm my choices. During my first decades at Savinelli, there were strict rules for every process, decided upon by the Factory Director."

It was around the year 2000 when the Savinelli factory underwent significant reorganization of all processes. "The last 20 years," says Luisa, "have been the best time for me at Savinelli: My expertise was fully developed, and I could contribute directly to the improvement of processes, both in the management of workers and in the creation of new series. And as Factory Director I could finally choose the briar by myself, without supervision."

Among the aspects of her job that Luisa has found most satisfying is that every day is different. "There has never been a routine to follow as Factory Director. Especially in the last years, with all of the new series, we had to focus on different issues and techniques, which vary from series to series. Every morning starts with a determination of the status of each project and with an evaluation of the most important challenges. It is fundamental to find a balance within the factory and understand what needs to be done immediately and what can wait, so that everyone on staff has the right workflow for the day and our production remains consistent."

Choosing each pipe for the Luisa Fiammata series was an interesting and exciting exercise, especially since the parameters of the project required that she determine her personally favorite and most important shapes. "I have a preference for the 904 and 920 shapes, as their flared bowls allow for the display of a most beautiful flame grain. Some shapes have been out of production for a while because of changes in the market: In the past we focused only on 3mm and 6mm pipes, but then the request for 9mm pipes became significant, and some of the 'old' shapes could not be made in 9mm, so they were left behind."

Savinelli in Modern and Past Times

Savinelli now operates with a leaner team than in previous years, making some projects more challenging than during most of the company's history. "In the past," says Luisa, "there were far more workers than today in the factory, and because of that fact there was more time and personnel for the very time-consuming processes of particular series — like the Ottavia, an eight-sided faceted pipe that we have revived lately with Ottagono, but as a limited edition."

Bestsellers in the '60s and '70s were very classic shapes like the 101 and 606. "Then bent shapes started to prevail. An interesting fact is that we introduced the iconic 320 shape in the '70s but it started to grow seriously only in the last decade, and today it's our bestselling shape."

The shapes have always been designed by the staff at Savinelli. "Each time a new shape is projected," says Luisa, "there is a long incubation period where every characteristic is examined and thought through so that the final proportions of the pipe are perfect."

That perfection is Luisa's legacy, and the Luisa Fiammata series is the culmination of her dedication, expertise, and careful stewardship of a brand that is recognized around the world for its remarkable caliber of professionalism, its provocative and traditional shaping styles, its commitment to exceptional smoking characteristics, and its dedication to serving a pipe-smoking clientele who recognizes and expects the quality of fine Italian craftsmanship.

The Luisa Fiammata Series

The Luisa Fiammata is a limited-edition series with an initial run of 200-300 pieces in smooth and sandblasted finishes. The smooth pipes are limited to 50 and each is serialized, while the sandblasts are more plentiful and unserialized. All, however, display superior grain. Luisa has seen to that.

The shapes available are remarkable for their historic significance and for their importance in the world of pipes as seen through the experienced eyes of Luisa Bozzetti, who has for decades successfully managed one of the most recognized pipe factories in the world. It's her final project. Her name is on these pipes. The Luisa Fiammata project is the pinnacle of her career.