A twisting gravel road leads up to a Lego block-shaped building made of stucco. Floor to ceiling sliding glass doors in front, lined with verticals and potted trees, create a cool respite from the afternoon sun. The concrete floor of the work area is a maze of stacked crates, large burlap sacks, and various machines. A breeze whirls through the garage style room causing tacked up papers and wood shavings to flutter about. The aromas of lacquer and tree bark mix together and surround Bruto Sardini, a master pipe craftsman, as he fires one of his creations over an oil burning flame. Bruto discovered his natural talent for pipe making some 25 years ago. Dissatisfied with the different styles of pipes he had tried, he decided to make his own. Having a limited knowledge of necessary techniques, Bruto searched for someone willing to teach him and eventually discovered the now late Primo Soriani, who had created pipes using techniques that were adapted
		from the early 1900s. With Primo’s guidance, Bruto began his apprenticeship and truly enjoyed exercising his personal creativity. While studying law at the University of Urbino, Bruto continued to pursue his fascination with pipe making. He crafted pipes, sold them on campus, and supported his studies with the revenue. Eventually, a fellow pipe craftsman and friend suggested they create a small business together. Bruto accepted and assumed the venture would last about two years. Bruto was
			mistaken. Five years later, Bruto was still making pipes. He chose not to return to school and instead decided to move to the mountains of Cagli where he finds “great inspiration” in nature.
Bruto extinguishes the flame and looks up through his glasses. His workbench is decorated with several different styles of pipes, bottles of lacquer, sheets of sandpaper and tufts of cotton. Soon, he retreats into a backroom and emerges with a mass of wood, placing it on the floor. The structure is an uprooted tree, sans roots, branches and leaves. The plant, Italian briar (Ericabotanica), is indigenous to the Mediterranean Basin. The large burl connecting the roots and the trunk is the material that Bruto uses to make his pipes. After being unearthed and before being delivered to Bruto, the bulb is sent to a woodcarver. There, the wood is separated into blocks, each about the size of a brick. The wood then undergoes a boiling process to cleanse it and preserve the moisture. Bruto then lets this wood age naturally for two years before he begins his work. Bruto sketches the outline of a pipe on an aged piece of wood and brings
it over to a saw. After the buzzing of the saw ceases and the light covering of dust is brushed away, Bruto holds up the sculpted piece of wood, now shaped into a “Bent Dublin” pipe. Bruto advances to another machine where he places the wood in a vise. He then drills the cammino or chimney (reservoir for the tobacco) and afterward drills the floccalggio or flock			Click on Bruto to see him work his magic
(where the bit is inserted). Bruto drills with patience and precision to ensure that the two separate chambers will connect at precisely the right point. Bruto uses a sander to scale the pipe down and create symmetrical sides.
	Bruto and his co-workers create over 100 various shapes and grades of Don Carlos pipes, named after Bruto’s favorite music, “Don Carlos” by Vivaldi. The pipes are exported to Russia, Germany, Austria, and the United States. All Don Carlos pipes are crafted with extraordinary care and precise technique. Bruto prides himself on creating some of the finest pipes in the world, believing that the quality of the work he creates is more important than the quantity. Over the past ten years, just over 10,000 pipes have been produced and only 20 have been returned. All Don Carlos pipes are created with such confidence that they come with lifetime satisfaction guarantee. If a customer is not pleased with their pipe, Bruto responds immediately. For Bruto, creating exquisite pipes is a labor of love.
Graphic Design: Danielle Dinardo & Lindsay Mead Design Production: Danielle Dinardo & Lindsay Mead Writing: Raina G. Patrocinio Photography: Danielle Dinardo Videography: Bob Buhowski