Cesare

Cesare is the second brand used by the Cesare Barontini factory in Livorno, alongside the top-tier line it sells under its own name. The name comes directly from Cesare Barontini, who ran the business from 1955 onward; it is therefore not an invented brand name but the family's own name, lent to a more modest line. In this respect it differs from Aldo Velani, the fully invented-name line the same factory put on the market.

The Factory Behind It

The Barontini name is part of a chain spanning three generations in Livorno. According to the company's official history, the business traces its origin to a facility Turildo Barontini founded in 1890 to process briar; the firm was, in other words, first a processor of the raw material for pipes rather than a pipe maker itself. The shift to finished pipe production came in 1925 under his son Bruno Barontini. Management passed to Bruno's son Cesare Barontini in 1955, and the firm came to be known by this name for decades afterward; Cesare ran the business together with his daughters Barbara and Silvia.

This setup, able to prepare the raw material and finish the pipe under the same roof, made Barontini one of Italy's most sought-after private-label manufacturers. Besides Cesare, the same factory's lines also include Aldo Velani, L'Artigiana, Stuart, and Cortina. Cesare Barontini is also said to have supported his cousin Ilio Barontini, who founded his own pipe-making business.