Montegrappa Venetia vs Scribo Piuma

It’s been a hard year for many of us, but here’s something that does not hurt: I review two Italian beauties in my collection, the Montegrappa Venetia in the Vintage Conifer colorway, and the Scribo Piuma Impressione. There are many editions of both of these models - mine are green and teal.

I love these pens side by side - both have a streamlined and sightly unusual silhouettes and I think they look good next to each other.

Both pens share similar silhouettes and use cartridge converter systems. Both pens have a step down to the section; I find both comfortable to write with. In terms of MSRP, the Scribo Piuma retails for $550 or $505 depending on nib, while the Montegrappa Venetia retails for $450, I believe - again, quite comparable. I like buying my pens on deep discounts, and I bought each of those pens in different years, for a much lower price than the MSRP. The Montegrappa Venetia is a newcomer to the Gathering - if you are looking for a deal on one of those pens, check out Atlas Stationers’ Last Chance section right now (add to cart to see a discount).

Barrel engravings on the Montegrappa Venetia and the Scribo Piuma. I like the MG engraving quite a bit. The Scribo Piuma engraving is on another level for me - it is deep, clear, a minimalistic designer feature, and I personally love it.

The most striking difference between those two pens is the nib. The Venetia sports a steel Jowo with the Montegrappa logo; the nib unit unscrews easily and can be swapped with any other Jowo nib unit. The Scribo Piuma has the wonderful gold Scribo nib in a wide selection of widths, both in 18k and in 14k Flex. Scribo inherits the original Bock machinery used to make Omas nibs, and their nibs are definitely worth checking out. My Piuma sports a 18k F nib with an ebonite feed.

The Montegrappa Venetia uses a Jowo nib, in this case steel - this one has a reverse architect grind by Kirk Speer. The Piuma has the beautiful Scribo Feel the Writing 18k F nib.

Each of the pens has a rather steep step down to the section, the Montegrappa with rounded edges. The sections on both pens are long and, to me, comfortable - the Montegrappa section is slightly slimmer than that of the Piuma. From descriptions on Goldspot Pens, the Piuma section measures 11mm to 11.6mm, while the Montegrappa Venetia is 9mm to 12mm. I did not measure them myself. Both are comfortable for me, with an edge to the Piuma.

The cap of the Montegrappa has a plastic lining. The lining black and thick, and I feel that this feature overall cheapens the pen. I do not like it, and I would have preferred solid acrylic, or an insert which would be much less obvious to the eye. I guess it helps with the metal threads on the Venetia. In comparison, the cap of the Scribo Piuma has lovely machining with no need for plastic caps. The acrylic is thicker. The threads are acrylic as well.

Caps of the Montegrappa Venetia (above) and the Scribo Piuma (below). It’s hard to see, but the black plastic insert of the Venetia feels quite cheap to me, it annoys me.

I think the plastic insert of the Venetia serves a purpose (it creates a good seal to protect the pen from drying out, and insures uniformity). I would have been at peace with it if it was farther away from the edge of the cap. I like to feel the edge of the cap with my fingers when I hold the cap, and the sensory experience of the internal plastic annoys me. I’m very particular about those things, so this might not generalize to anyone else.

The Piuma has a well-known feature of not exactly aligning the facet when closed (unless you really force the cap, which I would not do). It is mildly annoying, but at this point I am used to it.

If this was a battle of pens, the Piuma would win quite easily - it has an exquisite, expressive gold nib with an ebonite feed and a long comfortable section. I love the “Scribo” stamping on the pen and I love how the modernist, somewhat minimalist aesthetics still combine with Italian luxury. I feel that the Montegrappa Venetia is significantly overpriced at MSRP for a Jowo steel nib pen (I did not buy it at MSRP, and would not). However, these pens are not competing in the Gathering - they are companions that serve different purposes in my use case.

Montegrappa Venetia and Scribo Piuma in the company of other Italian pens. Top to bottom, Aurora Internazionale Arancione, Aurora 888 Volterra, Montegrappa Venetia Vintage Conifer, Scribo Piuma Impressione, Aurora Optima Viola, Scribo Feel Maddalena.

The Montegrappa Venetia enjoys the advantage of an interchangeable Jowo nib. I already had the nib ground to a Reverse Architect by Kirk Speer, and it is ideal for taking notes on the go. As an Italian pen fan, I like to have a selection to work and out to coffeeshops without too much apprehension, and the Venetia shines in that role. I’ve also recently been using this pen to take notes on a videogame — Blue Prince, a great narrative and puzzle game for which notetaking is recommended. I’ve been enjoying the pen in that context. With the interchangeable Jowo nib unit comes the freedom to use a broader tip with shimmer, making the pen even more versatile for me. Also, I just love the little pointy ends.

The Venetia has pointy ends :) the Piuma also has a very nice shape.

The Scribo Piuma has a wonderful notetaking and journaling nib, and I enjoy it very much, but it’s not inked right now as I’m using a different Scribo right now — the Feel Maddalena with an EF Flex nib. So while I would not sell this Piuma and I absolutely love it, I found that I am more likely to ink up a Feel. The number of the Scribos in the Gathering is down from six to a manageable four (for now), with two Scribos sold or catch-and-released this year, but my love for these pens continues unabated.

The Montegrappa Venetia Vintage Conifer is the second pen I bought in 2025 (the first was a catch and release). Montegrappa has apparently lost its US distributor, and so there are good deals to be had on some of the Montegrappas remaining in the US. It is not a perfect pen, but it does not have to be.

Morning coffeeshop vibe with the Montegrappa Venetia and Travelers Tokyo notebook. Grumpy beadcat grudgingly approves.