Handcrafting Papal Bells With Italy’s Oldest Family Business

The Marinelli Pontifical Foundry is Italy’s oldest family business and among the three oldest family businesses worldwide.

Campane Marinelli foundry has a very long history; the first bell was made around the year one thousand and since then their work has been a long sequence of success and honours. One of the most significant honour that the foundry can boast, is the possibility to use the Papal Arm Coast in their production; it was Pope Pio XI in 1924 to grant the privilege to the foundry.

Campane Marinelli foundry, considered to be the oldest foundry in the world, is located in Agnone (Agnéune in the local dialect), a small Italian town of 5,200 inhabitants in the province of Isernia in Molise.

The Marinellis have been handcrafting bells since 1000 AD, and current co-owners, operators and brothers Armando and Pasquale Marinelli are the 26th generation to run the business.