The Courage to Carry On a Truly Pratese Tradition

Courage has many faces.
In Prato, on June 6–7–8, 2025, the first edition of the “Sowing Ideas” festival will come to life.
A city-wide event that will bring energy to symbolic locations like the Teatro Politeama, the Cloister of San Domenico, the Textile Museum at the Campolmi Factory... and even the small inner courtyard of our biscuit factory, where the press conference will be held in mid-May.

The theme chosen for this first edition is Courage.
That’s where this month’s blog post begins.

Courage is to begin.
It took a great deal of courage to open a bakery in the historic centre of Prato in the mid-1800s. Think about it: bread, pasta, cantucci, and other small biscuits... What a bold endeavor it must have been for Antonio Mattei! And yet, he found the courage to try—and to succeed.

Courage is also letting go.
In 1885, his son Emilio inherited the business. He had no children. He could have kept it for himself until the end, letting it die with him. Instead, he chose to entrust it to others, so it could live on. That, too, is courage: making space, trusting, allowing something you love to live beyond you. Egisto Ciampolini and Tommaso Pandolfini went into debt in 1904 just to take over the business. At the beginning of the 20th century, Italia Piccioli-Ciampolini not only supported her husband in running the bakery but also had the courage to innovate: she created the “Brutti Buoni” biscuits, and welcomed and raised children who weren’t her own, for example Ernesto and Alberto Pandolfini, and Alfonso Piccioli. That’s courage too.

Courage is to endure. And to begin again.
During the First World War, Ernesto wrote to Aunt Italia:

“It’s all over! Now it’s up to each of us, in our own way, to start again, to rebuild... But before raising the walls, we need to build solid foundations—strong enough to withstand any earthquake. Sending you my warmest regards.”
Ernesto

Courage is also imagining the future and dreaming big.
In 1919, Ernesto was already laying out concrete plans to relaunch the company: new specialties, new roles, reorganized production areas. Practical words, clear vision, a steadfast heart. And after the Second World War?

“The reopening was a true triumph. The joy I felt brought tears to my eyes more than once... I am proud and honoured to have always, in every circumstance, upheld the prestige and morality of Our Company.”

Courage is facing life, just as it is.
In December 196, after our grandfather’s passing, our father Paolo Pandolfini took over the business with the help of his cousin Renzo. In the late 1970s, he suffered a stroke. He had to learn everything again: how to speak, walk, laugh. Live. And he did. His was the courage of faith. Of generosity. Of quiet determination.

And today? Who holds that courage?
It’s the four of us who carry on the biscuit factory today. We don’t know if we’re truly courageous.
But if courage is also gratitude, then yes, we are courageous. Because we are deeply grateful. Grateful for the legacy we’ve been entrusted with. For the trust of our customers. For the city that surrounds and supports us. We chose to look ahead, to invest, to work together. And yes, that takes courage. Because the future is uncertain—but sometimes the hardest thing is facing the daily differences between siblings.
Loving each no matter what. Looking one another in the eyes and accepting each other for who we are. We are different in our own ways, but united. Maybe it’s love, that true love that gives us the courage to move forward. A word from the heart

According to the Treccani dictionary, courage comes from the Latin word cor, meaning heart.
It is strength of spirit, determination, resilience. It’s the strength to do what’s right, even when it’s frightening. It’s the spark that crosses time and generations, and still animates the hands that knead, bake, and smile each day. It’s what we hope to always cherish.

With all our heart.
The Pandolfini Siblings