Al Pascià
The “curvy” pipe is a home creation much in demand around the world, especially among young people, but artisanal production is rich and varied.
When you want to tell someone in Milan that they’re doing really well, you tell them they’re “like a pasha.” And this is how they have felt at Al Pascià since 1906, when they chose this name to inaugurate a thriving smoking accessories business, which over time has evolved, focusing heavily on the production of pipes. Entering the shop, which has always been housed inside Palazzo Casati Stampa, a magnificent 16th-century building, is an experience in itself, as it feels like stepping onto a long, narrow ship, made of polished wooden furnishings of unparalleled charm. Since the late 1980s, management has passed to the Sportelli family, with father Umberto and mother Adele, today assisted by their sons Cosimo and Leonardo. Pipe production is booming, especially thanks to the inimitable Curvy, a pipe created with irony and taste with sinuous, plump shapes, much loved by young people all over the world. Collaboration and dialogue with artisans have always affected every phase of the creative process at Al Pascià, from the conception to the choice of materials and finishes, up to the finished product, with particular attention to manufacturing techniques. Online sales, which the Sportelli brothers have pioneered since 1999, are also well-stocked and very useful. “Our greatest joy remains seeing in our customers the same emotions we feel,” conclude the two brothers, happy to be at the helm of a historic business that still has much to tell.