by Denis Pécaut
We had the pleasure of returning this year to Roma Expo Guitars, one of the greatest guitar festivals in Italy, organised by Gabriele Curciotti and Massimo di Coste. A magnificent event, set in the heart of historical Rome, just steps away from the Trevi Fountain. Part of what makes this festival unique is its setting: one descends into a basement and literally enters another world, that of the classical guitar, without distraction, without noise, with the sole ambition of thirty luthiers presenting their instruments in the tranquillity of dedicated spaces.
It is also one of the best-organised festivals for trying guitars. The luthiers are grouped in threes, share a room and rotate every half hour, offering each visitor a quiet and focused moment to approach the instruments. A rare format, one that respects both craftsmen and musicians.
One encounters the legends of Italian lutherie. Luigi Locatto was there with his wife and two of his guitars, one with the air resonance frequency tuned around F#, the other at E. We tried them with Ioanna Kazoglou, Edith Pageaud and Professor Andreas von Wangenheim from the Lucerne University of Music, in long and passionate listening sessions exploring the differences and convergences between the two instruments. Luigi Locatto, largely self-taught, builds guitars of remarkable singularity. We will receive a collection model from him later this year, and we are very much looking forward to it. Gabriele Lodi was also present, and we had, as every time, a deep conversation about Torres, about sound production, about his always impressive musical culture.
Enrico Bottelli, Lorenzo Frignani, Paolo Coriani, Mario Grimaldi—the established figures—were all there. Andrea Tacchi was absent this year, but we hope to see him again next year. Lorenzo Frignani came with his son; we should be receiving two of his guitars very soon. His instruments have a particularly traditional sound, with an inspiration close to Guadagnini, offering a subtly different yet refreshing take on the classical guitar sound.
Among the highlights of the 2026 edition, Marco Gilioli deserves special mention. He was presenting for the first time a lattice project developed over more than three years, with his own plantilla and a very distinct tonal identity: lightness of touch, projection and power, and a wide tonal palette. Marco Bortolozzo was there too, from whom we are expecting a guitar soon. We also enjoyed trying the instruments of Danilo Bazzana, one of which will make the journey home with us. Lucio Antonio Carbone was there with his family, which led to interesting discussions about photography. We currently have one of his German-inspired guitars on the left wall of our showroom, a truly exceptional instrument that we strongly recommend any visiting guitarist try.
Ennio Giovannetti was celebrating his fiftieth birthday, which made for a wonderful evening. We will be presenting his Roma Expo Limited Edition this year, featuring a Friedrich-inspired rosette, a raised fingerboard and a spherically domed spruce top. The tension in the top produces an immediate response, a ringing tone and a very particular tonal personality. Also in the limited edition category, Mirko Migliorini was showing a Roma Expo guitar with three-piece Brazilian rosewood sides, visually spectacular and musically convincing.
Marco Maguolo presented his first double-top this year, a successful venture, with a powerful sound at a light touch, round and warm, yet carrying the recognisable tonal fingerprint of its maker. Antonio Marchese brought two guitars in radically different sound worlds: a Garcia model in satinwood and an Arias in Indian rosewood. Two fascinating instruments that confirm he is one of the Italian luthiers to follow very closely. Both guitars will be available in our collection soon.
Luca Santambrogio, a young luthier with a designer's background, brings rare attention to every detail of his instruments: colours, proportions, textures. Two guitars from him were present, a Romanillos model in satinwood that will join our shop, and a Torres-inspired guitar, both open, generous and genuinely promising. Sebastiano Fracasso, equally young and already incredibly gifted, was exhibiting for the first time as well. His guitars have a sound that belongs to them, something special, difficult to define but immediately perceptible.
Valerio Licari was there with his two apprentices, in a fine atmosphere of craft being passed on. Liuteria Rojas and Sanzol presented a Santos Hernández-inspired guitar, with that dry, nervy, deeply bassy and profoundly inspiring sound that characterises this school. Roberto Pozzi also presented very interesting guitars, and is currently building an instrument for us, a seven-fan bracing guitar with mosaics in the rosette and throughout the purflings, of remarkable aesthetic coherence.
Angelo Vailati, with his satinwood guitar of remarkable sweetness and subtlety, once again built a guitar that I would favour keeping for myself. It will be available soon in our showroom, so you will see for yourself. It is also important to note that Leonardo de Gregorio and Fabio Zontini are both preparing new instruments for our showroom, and these will be, in their own categories, guitars not to be missed.
Finally, I had the pleasure of playing the instruments of Silvia Zanchi, Rinaldo Vacca, Matteo Crotti, Francesco de Gregorio, Eugenio Naso, Aldo Illotta, Gerardo Centonze, Alessandro Marseglia and SeC Guitars, all of whom are wonderful artists and artisans.
On the concert side, Zoran Dukić and Irina Kulikova gave two beautiful recitals, and Edith Pageaud delivered a splendid public guitar comparison, a rare and instructive moment. We warmly thank Gabriele Curciotti and Massimo di Coste for this impeccable organisation, and for the listening session of all thirty instruments offered on the first day, a truly precious moment. Until next year.
