I had an absolutely amazing visit to Fratelli Patricola!! After playing on their clarinets at a Clarinet Fest 2019 I could not stop thinking about them. And after a few emails with Angelo Patricola, I got to visit their facilities!
Located about an hour north of Milan, the drive was not interesting, but Castelnuovo Scrivia (where their facilities are located) is adorable. Don’t go on a Monday! Everything was closed. But they have a small palace and a castle (left) you can wander around in.
I spent about an hour trying clarinets. Bb, A, and an incredibly interesting Bb that the Patricola brothers designed with more keys on it. It was very fun to play but didn’t quite have the sound I was hoping for. It also begs the age-old question: after playing clarinet for 20 years the same way, would I remember to use the new keys ^_~
After finding my new clarinet we were taken on a tour that was amazing. I do a lot of wine trips, and there were many fun similarities. Aging wood, specialized tools, and a true passion for their craft.
Above, 360 picture of the main workroom on the top floor.
Everything, or at least almost everything including every little spring is made on sight.
My favorite part of this tour was seeing all the different stages of the wood. I knew it took a long time to make a clarinet body, but I’d not quite realized that it took around fifteen years just to carve it out before they cure it.
“If we mess up the clarinet, it can always still be an oboe.”
Once the wood is carved it’s cured and the hardware (posts and such) all made on sight are added.
Last it’s time to add keys. They make all their keys and plate them in-house.
Finally, after all that, you get a clarinet.
Learn more about The Fratelli brothers on their website: https://patricola.com/
