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The town of Foligno has been famous for its tradition of organ manufacturing as far back as the late middle ages. Today, Andrea, Barbara and Claudio Pinchi continue their grandfather’s and father’s craft of organ manufacture and restoration, along with a small cadre of specialized artisans.
The finest and hardest wood is used, and strangely, boxwood is the wood they prefer for its tight grain, finding it wild in the hills above Foligno. 
The wood is cut in the dark of night, on a crescent moon… Even though Italians are a superstitious lot, we are told that it has a great deal to do with the grain of the wood being optimal at this time.
Any owner of a boxwood plant knows that it grows incredibly slowly. Perhaps that is one of the tests of great wood. We are told that keyboards 400 years old often can show little signs of wear. Strangely, only organ builders use boxwood; it is not sought by any other craft.
Looking for a little antique treasure of your very own? This magnificent pale blue beauty can be yours for only €18,000!
Thanks to Andrea and Barbara Pinchi, www.pinchi.com/ars
– Contributed by Evanne Brandon Diner (see bio), chronicler of local village life in Northern Lazio, and property restoration and purchasing consultant. www.lavventuraitalia.com
What a delightful story of the organ making of the Pinchi family. I was impressed that they used boxwood and wondered why it was never used for violins. Thanks for sharing this story. John B
Loved the Note, Evanne. Good fun to learn about a whole new world. You never know when I might want to purchase an organ. That little blue one is a gem!
[...] …cont’d from Pinchi Organ Transplant [...]