Italy’s largest felt hat factory was in Ghiffa, a resort village on the west short of Lake Maggiore, 4 km north of Verbarnia, known for its observatory, and for the sacred mountain of Ghiffa, which is one of the Piedmontese Sacred Mountains designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The factory of Giovanni Panizza & Co was founded in 1861, worked until 1981. The felt hats it produced were exported to all parts of the world. The factory now houses a museum which includes tools, machines and samples of products, and a documentary film illustrates the former means of production.
Ghiffa Hat Museum
Museo di Cappello di Ghiffa
Corso Belvidere 279
128823 Ghiffa
Italy
+39 (0) 323 - 59209
Homepage