Savinelli: Roma (173) (6mm) Tobacco Pipe

The "173" is one of Savinelli's more unique shapes, hybridizing characteristic elements of other designs. In silhouette, the profile is a fairly straightforward Apple, perhaps a touch taller than would be considered standard and with a very slight bend to the stem, but upon closer examination the pipe's distinguishing qualities become more apparent. The shank is actually a Reuleaux triangle in cross section, still rounded but with defining ridgelines for a paneled-like motif, and such a cue matches the shank of the Italian marque's "673 KS" bent Bulldog. Following the Bulldog similarities, the bowl of the "173" sometimes features crisp beadlines just above the waist in some iterations, yet all versions always remain continually rounded and devoid of the Bulldog's typically sudden taper toward the rim.

It's only fitting that one of Italy's most historic and esteemed pipe manufacturers would devote a line to one of the country's most celebrated cities: Rome. From Antiquity and empire to Renaissance and cultural center, the Italian capital tells the story of millennia through its architecture, statues, piazzas, and fountains. Savinelli's Roma series pays tribute to this history, presenting a dark rustication, accented with a trim, brass ring at the base of the vulcanite stem. The lighter-stained, smooth-polished rim echoes that elegant contrast, and the mouthpiece trades the Italian marque's usual coat of arms logo for one emblazoned with an "R," distinguishing the Rome-inspired line.