top of page

The Global Family Business Champions

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • X
  • LinkedIn
  • Youtube
  • Spotify
  • bluesky

Handcrafting Papal Bells With Italy’s Oldest Family Business


The Marinelli Pontifical Foundry is Italy’s oldest family business and among the three oldest family businesses worldwide.


Campane Marinelli foundry has a very long history; the first bell was made around the year one thousand and since then their work has been a long sequence of success and honours. One of the most significant honour that the foundry can boast, is the possibility to use the Papal Arm Coast in their production; it was Pope Pio XI in 1924 to grant the privilege to the foundry.


Campane Marinelli foundry, considered to be the oldest foundry in the world, is located in Agnone (Agnéune in the local dialect), a small Italian town of 5,200 inhabitants in the province of Isernia in Molise.


The Marinellis have been handcrafting bells since 1000 AD, and current co-owners, operators and brothers Armando and Pasquale Marinelli are the 26th generation to run the business.

Next Event
Budget 2026: Implications Beneath The Headlines

Monday, 2 November 2026

Webinar looking at the implications of the Autumn Budget with our partners at RPGCC

Most Recent Publication
Insight Guide - The Value Of An Outside Voice (Non-Executive Directors)

A Family Business United Insight Guide to Non-Executive Directors in a Family Business, in association with TWYD & Co.The right Non-Executive Director can be the most valuable person in a family b...

Jobs Board Advert.jpg
Most Read
Examining The Three Generation Rule Of Family Business

The 'three-generation rule' which is also known as 'shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations' posits that wealth and businesses...

The Importance Of Family Businesses Around The World

Family businesses, ranging from small local shops to multinational corporations, are the backbone of economies around the globe, making a...

Family Businesses And Their Significance In South Korea

South Korea’s economic story in the latter half of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first is often told in terms of its chaebols — large family-controlled conglomerates such as Samsung, Hyund...

Key Components Included In A Family Charter

A family charter, also known as a family constitution or family governance document, is a formal written agreement or set of principles...

It All Began With Three Biscuits!

The story of Cartwright and Butler is a story of family and their love of baking that spans over five generations. You would be forgiven...

membership-advert.jpg

About the Author

bottom of page