Gioia Alleria Crepuscolo - B

The pen looks and feels great in the hand. Pictures don't properly capture the sparkle in the resin and the depth of the colors. This is my first pen with a metal piston mechanism and there's a nice heft to it that gives it a feeling of quality. Everything feels tight and smooth on it, great construction and attention to detail.

I opted for Fontoplumo's tuning and smoothing service and they did a great job on the 1.1 stub on the pen. As long as I'm on the sweet spot, I hardly notice a difference in smoothness from my pens with regular rounded nibs. I can still write with a nice flow.

Overall, an excellent purchasing experience. I'm tempted to get another in a different finish, or perhaps the Partenope model.

To be honest, I was fed up with everyone on IG showing off Chinese made Esterbrook. I felt that I wanted something handmade with love, from hard hit covid Europe. When I discovered Gioia, I felt excitement. Excitement because there is a story behind every edition. Excitement because it is a small company in Italy, so not everyone owns one of their pens yet. But most of all I was excited because the pens are not over-priced. You get a gorgeous looking pen for a reasonable price. I love it's chubbiness and how it writes straight out of the box. I love how it feels like I get to travel to Napoli when I write with it. For me, Fontoplumo was the one and only choice for buying this pen. Not only are they polite and friendly but they also employ nibwhisperer Bruce! I never feel that an EF nib is extra fine enough. So with the Fountain Pen Day % off, I bought this with a needle point grind. Highly recommendable! It is perfect! It makes it a perfect extra fine nib and no, it does not get scratchy. The ink flows as it should. This pen deserves ten stars! And I am a very finicky pen owner!