Pipemaking for 50 years
Luigi Viprati has been part of the Italian pipe avant-garde for many, many years. Yet he is no longer one of the youngest. But he is not thinking of quitting, even if he could. He simply enjoys it too much. It is his passion, his hobby.
Beginning in military service
He started making pipes in 1972, during his military service, as a pastime and something to do on the side. He smoked his first pipes himself or gave them away to friends. And of course he made mistakes, tried, improved. But over time, as an autodidact, he became much more professional.
Alberto Paronelli Pioneer
He has been stamping his pipes with "La Pipe di Viprati" since 1984. He made the decision to make pipe making his main profession and purpose in life after meeting Alberto Paronelli - himself a pipe maker and founder of a very important pipe museum. After a few conversations it was clear to him that the subject of briars would not let him go in a hurry.
Briar - his love
The love of briars is his main motivation anyway. That's why he himself likes to go with the Bruyere seekers into the forests on the Mediterranean coast and help as much as he can. It goes without saying that he has access to the best briar.
His special style
Luigi Viprati's style is anything but classic. Even for Italian pipe makers, his design is quite idiosyncratic and unique. But it is very characteristic. A connoisseur recognizes a Viprati pipe immediately. Often it is because of the certain swing that lies in his pipes, giving them an elegant sportiness.
Reading the Briar
In shaping his pipes, he is guided above all by the grain of the wood. And also what potential he discovers in the wood. If he sees the potential for an expressive sandy radiance, he focuses on this surface, which he sees as "grain to touch". He also makes rusticated pipes. In doing so, he uses the surface carving as a stylistic device, not as "leftover recycling". Rusticated pipes by him are therefore often elaborately decorated, and anything but simply worked.
Only natural materials
For the applications, he relies on natural materials. Horn, olive wood, boxwood and silver. Now and then Elforyn. His acrylic mouthpieces are handmade, and on the German market mostly with a filter drilling. Internationally mainly without.
Good price-performance ratio
When you look at Luigi Viprati pipes, you first notice how good value his pipes are. And this in the truest sense. Handmade, Italian pipes from 200€, sometimes even less, are not to be found every day.
Recommendation
We are pleased to have pipes from him in the Cigarworld range, and can recommend them to you. They are reliable companions through life with high aesthetic value and fantastic workmanship. What's more, they taste good right from the start - as we experienced ourselves.
