For more than 160 years, Castelfidardo on Italy’s Adriatic coast has been the world capital of accordion making. Here, where the accordion industry began in 1863, the instruments of Bugari Armando are still built today – genuine handwork, one instrument at a time.
Handmade in Castelfidardo
From selected woods through reed plates and bass mechanics to the final inspection: at Bugari Armando every accordion is built step by step by hand – a look inside the workshop.
The Bugari family
It all began with Enrico Bugari, who played the accordion himself and set up his own workshop. His instruments quickly won people over and were soon sold all over the world. In 1961 Nello Bugari handed the business over to his son Armando – the birth of “Armando Bugari srl”. Even after a serious accident in the 1980s that left him in a wheelchair, Armando insisted on coming to the workshop every day and watching over production with a keen eye.
Becoming a world brand
In the 1980s and 1990s Bugari Armando expanded worldwide and became one of the most important and most respected names in accordion making. In 2007 the company took over Zero Sette and the Giulietti brand. In 2012 its own photovoltaic plant followed, for clean energy, and in 2019 an international investment partnership secured the leading position in worldwide exports – with production unchanged, “Made in Castelfidardo”.
Today
Today around 40 people build standard-bass, bayan and convertor accordions – exclusively at the headquarters in Castelfidardo, from the finest Italian components. Production is headed by Gianluca Gobbetti – and his son now works side by side with him, so the craft is growing into the next generation. Enrico’s guiding principle still holds today: “Quality will prevail.”
“A man who works with his hands is a labourer. A man who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. But a man who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.”
The story of Bugari Armando
From the workshop in Castelfidardo
Two glimpses of production – every Bugari is built by hand.