Lorenzo: Dating the Bold Pipes of Gallarate

Welcome: a cult pipe from northern Italy

Welcome. If your pipe says Lorenzo, Spitfire or Lloyd's, this guide is for you.

Lorenzo pipes come from Gallarate, a town in the Varese area of northern Italy.

No Lorenzo pipe carries a year. We date them by the name on the pipe and the story of the firm.

Our facts come from Pipedia, plus a few restored pipes and shop listings for shape numbers.

Each rule has a rank: high, medium or low. Only the Lorenzo name itself has a high rank.

1900 to today

The firm in short

In 1900 two brothers started Fratelli Lana in Gallarate. Fratelli means brothers in Italian.

In 1922 the Lana brothers began to work closely with the Tagliabue family, merchants from Milan.

By 1939 the factory had 120 workers. It made cheap pipes for the mass market.

Many of those pipes were stamped only Genuine Bruyere, or something like it. Many were made for other firms.

In 1946 Tagliabue took over. The firm became Manufattura di Pipe Tagliabue.

Shortly before 1950 Lorenzo Tagliabue took charge. He made new models in his own style, of better quality.

In 1969 he renamed the brand Lorenzo Pipes. Pipedia says another pipe firm already used the Tagliabue name.

In 1983 Lorenzo Tagliabue retired after the death of his only child.

For a short time Comoy's of London made the brand under licence. Then Lorenzo pipes almost stopped.

In 1988 Riccardo and Gabriella Aliverti bought the Lorenzo name. Production started again.

The Aliverti family had worked in the firm since 1920. Riccardo became technical director in 1973.

His son Massimo has been sales director since 1991.

1970s and 1980s

The look of the classic years

Lorenzo pipes were cult pipes in the 1970s and 1980s.

Many have thick, heavy bowl walls and broad stems. Many have a flat bottom, so the pipe can stand.

The finish is often silk-matte, with a bold red or bright orange stain.

The best seller was a big Oom Paul, a deep bent shape, made in many versions.

Pipedia says Lorenzo used a lot of putty to fill small holes in the wood. Some fills are normal on these pipes.

These features fit the classic years, but no source gives them start or end years. Use them as hints only.

The marks to read

First read the name on the shank: Lorenzo, Spitfire or Lloyd's.

Spitfire was a cheaper sister brand. It copied Lorenzo shapes, mostly for 9mm filters, plus smaller classic shapes.

Lloyd's was used only for Lorenzo seconds, which are pipes with small flaws.

Line names are series names, not shapes. Examples are Eleganza, Esperia, Ravenna Studio and Carnevale.

Lorenzo never published a shape chart that we know of. Each shape number below comes from one pipe, so one source only.

Seen on single pipes: 113 a poker with a Dublin look, 717 a billiard, 805 a Canadian sitter.

Also seen: 826 a lovat-style stack, 8551 a stacked Lloyd's billiard, 8672 an apple, 8769 a bent Dublin.

Pipedia photos also show Mini C 8670 and Postillon 6025, with no shape name given.

Traps we see often

A Lana or Tagliabue pipe made before 1969 rarely says Lorenzo. A Lorenzo stamp means 1969 or later.

A pipe stamped only Genuine Bruyere could come from many factories. It cannot be called a Lorenzo from the stamp.

Between 1983 and 1988 very few Lorenzo pipes were made. Do not expect many pipes from those years.

Pipedia says some cheaper modern lines are made in Albania by the firm Tomori.

These include New Era, Angera, Cadry, Filtro, Arena, Cadore and Garden, among others.

Pipedia adds that this information may not be reliable. We know no stamp that shows an Albanian-made Lorenzo.

The better lines, such as One Star, Two Star, Three Star, Moscato and Spumante, are made in Italy.

Windows from the names on the pipe

Each row comes from our Lorenzo cabinet. Only the Lorenzo name is high, because the 1969 rename is clear.

Changelog

• 2026-10-13 — First published. Every year comes from our Lorenzo cabinet and its new facts file. We read the saved Pipedia copy again today.