The stages of a centuries-old history are easily summarized. Around the middle of the nineteenth century, in the Piedmonte of Carlo Alberto and Vittorio Emanuele II, the Pagliero family gave impetus to the manufacture of bone buttons, an activity that was able to develop especially after the unification of Italy. Returning from Veneto in 1912, Luigi Pagliero began working with ivory, tortoiseshell and new materials such as galalith and celluloid: it was the first phase of a long and complex process of productive diversification. Having ventured into the field of sliding lead pencils and fountain pens, Pagliero was soon imitated by the "Veronesi" (Favetta, Giacomazzi, Draba, etc.), workers who immigrated with their families from Caprino, to the southern reaches of Monte Baldo, between Lake Garda and the Adige valley.
In the midst of the Second World War, many people dedicated themselves to producing pens: laundresses, artisans, shopkeepers, mechanics and so on. Once the war was over, in a significantly changed economic context, those who persevered in the sector were almost necessarily pushed to improve the articles, to focus on thermoplastic materials, to increase production and then to automate the systems, seeking new market spaces with pens ballpoint pens and felt-tip pens ('markers'). Hence the notable results achieved by the Settimo industry as a whole.
In the midst of the Second World War, many people dedicated themselves to producing pens: laundresses, artisans, shopkeepers, mechanics and so on. Once the war was over, in a significantly changed economic context, those who persevered in the sector were almost necessarily pushed to improve the articles, to focus on thermoplastic materials, to increase production and then to automate the systems, seeking new market spaces with pens ballpoint pens and felt-tip pens ('markers'). Hence the notable results achieved by the Settimo industry as a whole.
