MONTEGRAPPA HOSTS TRATTIDAMARE 2026, BRINGING YACHTING, CRAFTSMANSHIP AND ITALIAN ENTERPRISE TOGETHER

Montegrappa welcomed the 2026 edition of TRATTIDAMARE, the annual event promoted by Timone Yachts, bringing together guests from across the worlds of yachting, entrepreneurship and manufacturing. Held at the Italian writing instrument maker’s historic headquarters, the gathering centred on a common interest in precision, craftsmanship and the continued development of specialist knowledge.

Rather than treating these industries as separate disciplines, the event created a space for exchange between organisations whose work is shaped by similar principles. Yachting, fine writing instruments and international business may occupy very different fields, yet each depends on a close relationship between design, materials, skilled production and attention to detail.

Among the notable participants was Giovanna Vitelli, Chair of Azimut|Benetti Group. Her presence reflected the longstanding relationship between the shipbuilder and the Timone Group, while UBS Group joined the occasion as an initiative partner. Together, the participating organisations represented different expressions of Italian and international business culture, connected by an interest in quality, innovation and enduring relationships.

For Montegrappa, the headquarters visit offered an opportunity to place its manufacturing heritage at the centre of the conversation. Guests were taken through the production environment to observe the stages involved in creating the Maison’s writing instruments, gaining a closer understanding of the balance between traditional workmanship and contemporary manufacturing technology.

That combination has been central to Montegrappa since its establishment. The company traces its origins to 1912, when a group of industrialists opened Italy’s first nib factory in Bassano Veneto, now Bassano del Grappa. The company’s historic manufactory remains rooted in the Veneto region, whose longstanding artisanal culture has influenced Montegrappa’s approach to materials, design and production. Its early history includes the development of the first Montegrappa fountain pen in 1915, while the company later became part of the Aquila family business, with Gianfranco Aquila acquiring the manufacture in 1981 and guiding its development into an international writing instrument house.

The heritage remains visible not only in Montegrappa’s products but also in the way the company presents its manufacturing process. Since 2022, following extensive refurbishment, the Bassano del Grappa headquarters has welcomed visitors through regular Montegrappa Experience tours, providing access to the production environment and the techniques behind its writing instruments.

This emphasis on making gave the TRATTIDAMARE programme a particularly appropriate setting. The event was not simply an occasion to view finished objects, but an opportunity to consider the knowledge and labour behind them. For a company whose history began with the manufacture of precision writing components, the relationship between engineering and craftsmanship remains fundamental.

The wider context of the gathering also reflected the evolving relationship between Italian manufacturing and innovation. Azimut|Benetti, for example, has invested heavily in technical development, including lighter construction, carbon fibre and alternative propulsion systems. The group has also pursued lower-emission technologies across its yacht portfolio, illustrating how traditional manufacturing expertise can coexist with contemporary research and environmental considerations.

Giovanna Vitelli has been closely involved in that development. She joined the Azimut|Benetti board in 2000 and became increasingly involved in corporate strategy, product development and research and development before assuming the group’s chairmanship in 2023. Her participation at TRATTIDAMARE therefore added another perspective on the relationship between heritage, innovation and the responsibilities of a family-led Italian enterprise.

The event continued beyond Montegrappa’s manufacturing spaces with a gathering at Villa Ca’ Erizzo, a setting of historical and cultural significance in Bassano del Grappa. The transition from factory to villa provided a natural change of pace: after an afternoon centred on production and technical knowledge, guests could continue their conversations in a more informal environment.

There was an underlying consistency to both settings. The headquarters represented the tangible side of craftsmanship—the materials, tools and processes required to create a finished object—while the evening gathering allowed the human relationships surrounding that work to take precedence. For an event built around connections between different industries, that distinction was fitting.

TRATTIDAMARE’s focus on relationships is particularly relevant to sectors in which expertise is accumulated over decades rather than produced quickly. Montegrappa’s own history illustrates this gradual development. Its Bassano origins, its connection with the Aquila family and its later expansion into contemporary materials, limited editions and technical experimentation all form part of a broader evolution that has kept the company connected to its original manufacturing identity.

Today, Montegrappa remains an independent, family-owned manufacturer, with its work continuing to draw on the wider artisanal culture of Veneto. Its current boutique network includes its Bassano del Grappa headquarters, as well as locations in Bangkok, Doha, Dubai and Muscat, alongside Abel Richard + Montegrappa boutiques in Beverly Hills, London, Miami, New York and Singapore.

TRATTIDAMARE 2026 ultimately offered a portrait of Italian craftsmanship from several perspectives. Yachting brought its emphasis on design, engineering and technological progress; Montegrappa contributed a century-plus of writing instrument manufacture; finance and business added another dimension to the discussion of enterprise and long-term value.

What made the occasion distinctive was not simply the variety of industries represented, but the common language running through them: careful making, specialised knowledge, continual refinement and relationships developed over time. In an age increasingly defined by speed and immediacy, such qualities retain a particular resonance. At Montegrappa’s Bassano home, they were given a setting in which the process of making—and the people who sustain it—could remain firmly in view.