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[[Image:Mastro de Paja Pipe01.jpg|left|thumb|Copyright Smokingpipes.com]]
[[Image:Mastro de Paja Pipe01.jpg|left|thumb|Copyright Smokingpipes.com]]
The genesis of Mastro de Paja is one of the most peculiar ones in pipe history. Mastro de Paja was brought into being by a "consortium" of passionate pipesmokers, who had rallied around '''Terenzio Cecchini'''. They felt bitterly unhappy observing the general decline of the Italian and the rapid ascent of the Danish pipe in the 1960s and to beard this they set their mind on creating a new and great Italian pipe brand for high-value pipes. After all, a very patriotic and honorably intention. All these gentlemen were successful, well, wealthy to rich businessmen, but none of them possessed any knowledge or experience in pipe making or in pipe business. Finally this circle of amici elected Cecchini to be the CEO and left it to him to find a suitable pipe expert and get the pipe fabrication started. Cecchini began to search and in 1970 he bumped into '''Giancarlo Guidi'''.
The genesis of Mastro de Paja is one of the most peculiar ones in pipe history. Mastro de Paja was brought into being by a "consortium" of passionate pipesmokers, who had rallied around '''Terenzio Cecchini'''. They felt bitterly unhappy observing the general decline of the Italian and the rapid ascent of the Danish pipe in the 1960s and to beard this they set their mind on creating an "all-new and great" Italian pipe brand for high-value pipes. After all, a very patriotic and honorably intention. All these gentlemen were successful, well, wealthy to rich businessmen, but none of them possessed any knowledge abouz pipemaking or was experienced in pipe business. Finally this circle of amici elected Cecchini to be the CEO and left it to him to find a suitable pipe expert and get the pipe fabrication started. Cecchini began to search and in 1970 he bumped into '''Giancarlo Guidi'''.


At that point of time Guidi was a real Mr. Nobody. He had begun to make his own pipes as a pure autodidact when he was a student of fine arts and design. Afterwards he couldn't find an employment in his profession and so he had decided to live on his talent as a pipe maker. Equipped with a band saw, a sanding disk and a belt sander, all age-worn and no longer very dependably, he succeeded to do so after a fashion. Guidi yielded to persuasion and joined the adventurous project. The foundation of the company was concluded and the amici provided some money. Cecchini was responsible for the management and Guidi, entering as a partner and not only as an employee, was appointed director of production. One more year passed, but in 1972 a workshop was finally furnished in Pesaro, almost exactly in the middle between Rome and Venice on the Adriatic sea. The pipe production could begin!
At that point of time Guidi was a real Mr. Nobody. He had begun to make his own pipes as a pure autodidact when he was a student of fine arts and design. Afterwards he couldn't find an employment in his profession and so he had decided to live on his talent as a pipe maker. Equipped with a band saw, a sanding disk and a belt sander, all age-worn and no longer very dependably, he succeeded to do so after a fashion. Guidi yielded to persuasion and joined the adventurous project. The foundation of the company was concluded and the amici provided some money. Cecchini was responsible for the management and Guidi, entering as a partner and not only as an employee, was appointed director of production. One more year passed, but in 1972 a workshop was finally furnished in Pesaro, almost exactly in the middle between Rome and Venice on the Adriatic sea. The pipe production could begin!
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Until the end of 1983 the last of the amici had withdrawn. Terenzio Cecchini, now exclusive proprietor of Mastro de Paja, needed and sought aid. A friend drew his attention to the young sales talent '''Alberto Montini'''. After finishing his studies in 1978, Montini had started a career as an accountant and by now he had already achieved a good position as manager of a prosperous firm for office arrangements. It took long and hesitant negotiations, but finally Montini agreed in 1985 to take over the management of Mastro de Paja. His entrance should prove to be the begin of a new era!   
Until the end of 1983 the last of the amici had withdrawn. Terenzio Cecchini, now exclusive proprietor of Mastro de Paja, needed and sought aid. A friend drew his attention to the young sales talent '''Alberto Montini'''. After finishing his studies in 1978, Montini had started a career as an accountant and by now he had already achieved a good position as manager of a prosperous firm for office arrangements. It took long and hesitant negotiations, but finally Montini agreed in 1985 to take over the management of Mastro de Paja. His entrance should prove to be the begin of a new era!   


To be continued!
[[Image:Mastro de Paja Pipe03.jpg|left|thumb|Copyright Smokingpipes.com]]
First of all Montini spoke a clear "Basta!" to the yet smoldering quarrels in the workshop. Being completely new to pipemaking he was otherwise smart enough to seek a close collaboration with the seasoned pipemakers Mario Pascucci, who became responsible for the future design work, and Vittorio del Vecchio, who headed the workshop now. Montini reduced the swollen output and implemented closer quality control focusing more closely on quality rather than on quantity. But most important, he introduced a new management style, that gave everybody in the business the feeling to be a member of a big family, whose personal contribution is appreciated and important for the commom prospering. It is certified that Montini himself did hard work and wasn’t about to perform as the general dogsbody in the workshop if worst came to worst. Also the new Signora, Montini’s wife Cinzia, worked on the workshop floor and still today you find her at the sanding or the finishing station.


Montini went on uncounted and endless business trips to refocus the company in Europe and overseas. He visited even very small tobacco shops in remote places and strived to get in contact with pipesmokers to introduce the renewed Mastro de Paja to them. Being sociable and capable to convince and to enthuse people, his innate talent for business and marketing, brought the brand gradually back again on a course to success.  Cecchini was wise enough by now to stay in the background and did not interfere in Montini’s commercial decisions. But to appreciate his merits he made him a partner soon. Following a few years of success after Montini’s entrance, Cecchini withdrew and disappeared. No one knew where he was and he never showed up again. ''(An Italian pipefriend who knew him from pipe wholesale business mentioned Cecchini and two of his friends went aboard his sailing yacht to cruise the Mediterranean Sea for the rest of their days.)'' After considerable wrangling with his heirs, Alberto Montini finally secured complete ownership of Mastro de Paja in 1995. Today a line of seconds, Montini Pipes, is named for him.


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[[Image:Mastro de Paja Pipe04.jpg|right|thumb|Copyright Smokingpipes.com]]
 
Two more important characters to mention: '''Franco Rossi''' (later Giorgio Imperatori’s brother-in-law and today [[Il Ceppo]]) learned the art of pipemaking for a while at Mastro de Paja after a serious injury had put an end to his career as a professional soccer player. He went on to Ser Jacopo and Don Carlos afterwards. '''Andrea Pascucci''', Mario’s son, who was born in 1966 in Pesaro, learned the business from 1989 on. He joined Ser Jacopo in 1994 and today he’s Massimo Palazzi’s partner at L' anatra.
 
Article Courtesy of [http://www.smokingpipes.com/ Smokingpipes.com]
'''Mastro de Paja''' was founded in 1972 in '''Pesaro''', '''Italy''', the great center of North Italian pipe making. On the Adriatic sea, almost exactly between Rome and Venice, Pesaro has grown to be one of the centers of pipemaking in Italy, boasting pipe producers such as [[Ser Jacapo]], [[Castello]], [[Il Ceppo]] and [[L'Anatra]].


The history of Mastro de Paja really begins in 1985 with the arrival of Alberto Montini as the factory manager. Mastro de Paja had been created by Terenzio Cecchini and friends of his, all of whom were successful businessmen. Being pipe smokers, they wanted to build a new brand of high-quality pipes. The famed Giancarlo Guidi, now maker of Ser Jacapo pipes, was involved in the company from 1970 to 1982 also. In 1982 Guidi left to make Ser Jacapo pipes. None of them had considerable experience in the pipe industry, except Guidi, who had left in 1982. All worked well, in spite of Guidi's departure, until the decline in demand for pipes in Italy during the early 1980s.
Shortly after 2000 there must have been a little trouble again. Especially pipesmokers in Germany complained about pipes showing considerable imperfections of engineering. But this time Mastro was obviously able to solve it’s problems quick and efficiently. Nevertheless Mastro de Paja holds a secured rank in the studded  Italian middle class today. The pipes truly exhibit the neoclassical flair of their Pesaro heritage, but tend to err on the more classical side compared to some of the other brands. This might be reason why quite a few pipefriends favour the elder pipes made under the aegis of Guidi.
[[Image:Mastro de Paja Pipe03.jpg|left|thumb|Copyright Smokingpipes.com]]
At this point, Cecchini sought out a new manager for the factory to turn it around. His answer to the problem was Alberto Montini (for whom the line of seconds, Montini pipes, is named). He refocused the company overseas and implemented closer quality control by reducing output and focusing more closely on quality rather than quantity.
[[Image:Mastro de Paja Pipe04.jpg|right|thumb|Copyright Smokingpipes.com]]
Following a few years of success, Cecchini disappeared. No one knew where he was and he never showed up again. After considerable wrangling with his heirs, Alberto Montini secured complete ownership of Mastro de Paja.


The key to Mastro de Paja is the family feeling that pervades the factory. Montini's wife, Cinzia, works on the workshop floor (mostly sanding and finishing the pipes) and various cousins and uncles do most of the actual carving. Mario Pascucci and Vittorio del Vecchio are the most senior carvers and are both extremely close to the Montini family. Most of the rest of the factory is somehow related to one of these four principle characters.
Regardless, Mastro de Paja manages to produce excellent Italian pipes related to their reasonable prices. The stems are usually made of Acryl and predominantly designed for employing filters. Incidentally are the costly silver trimmings of many models. The higher qualities show up to 3 sun symbols made of silver. In the lower, a smooth disk must suffice. Grading:
* Code 0A - 0C for rusticated,
* Code 1A - 1C for sandblasted,
* Code 2A - 2C for smooth pipes and
* Code 3A - 3C for straight grains.
* Exceptional individual pieces are called Unique or Fiamatta.
The most important buyers for appr. 7.000 to 8.000 annually manufactured pipes are the USA, Italy and Germany. Beside pipes Mastro de Paja also offers a range of other objects manufactured from noble woods since the middle of the 1980s.


Mastro de Paja pipes truly exhibit their Pesaro heritage, but tend to err on the side of classical more than some of the other brands made in the city, but the neoclassical flair for which the Pesaro school is known is certainly pronounced. They're partial rusticated or 'Unica' finish is particularly distinctive and has become somewhat of a trademark finish for the brand in the United States. Regardless, Mastro de Paja manages to produce excellent Italian pipes at reasonable prices.
'''Mastro de Paja'''
Via Liguria 30
IT - 61100 Pesaro
[mailto:info@mastrodepaja.it E-mail]
[http://www.mastrodepaja.it/ Homepage]
Retrieved from "https://pipedia.org/wiki/Special:MobileDiff/4674"

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