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>>>NETTUNO SUPERBA<<<
Nettuno Superba
Nettuno di Bologna boasts, proclaiming itself founded in 1911, to be the oldest producer of fountain pens in Italy. The date is taken from the sketch of an advertisement with this brand dating back to this year, but Letizia Jacopini, in “The history of the fountain pen in Italy 1900-1950”, reports that in the archives of the Bologna Chamber of Commerce the foundation of the company is in 1916. Which makes it very doubtful that the company really started its own production of fountain pens in 1911.
But regardless of the real date of foundation (which as far as I’m concerned remains 1916) the fact remains that Nettuno was one of the first Italian brands to enter the market, even though production has always been rather limited compared to large companies such as Omas. or Aurora, being linked to the activities of the Vecchietti family, owner of a historic pen and stationery shop in the center of Bologna.
Despite this, Neptune pens remain very interesting, both from a historical and qualitative point of view. The model considered the most significant of this company’s production is precisely the Nettuno Superba, the subject of this review, introduced around 1936.