Hidden Gems of Italy: A Hat Maker In a Tiny Marche Village
How a village of 1,780 people makes half of Europe’s hats, and what it’s like to buy one at the source.
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Montappone is a village of 1,780 people in the Marche hills. Its claim to fame is being the European capital of hat-making.
Over half of all hats made in Europe come from there. A tiny village beating every city across forty-four countries.
I was back in the Marche this May, wearing a beret. Peaky Blinders look, a winter weight, slightly too large. Somewhere between Rome and the Marche region, I left it behind.
Staying in the Fermo area and knowing about Montappone, I figured I’d make the short drive and get a new one at the source.
Alicia came along. She has a hard time finding hats that fit and was skeptical that Montappone would help. I grew up ten minutes away from it. I knew it would.
Getting there
The drive to get there is a beautiful traversing of paved, winding roads among green hills with a view of the Sibillini mountains in the distance. No scary cliffs or sketchy moments. Just a relaxing countryside drive.
Just before reaching it, you’ll see it perched atop a hill, golden-amber glowing: Montappone.
We arrived at Cappelleria Dichiara in the morning. It wasn’t clear which driveway we should get into, and if we could. An older lady passing by asked us where we were going.
She told me “Sua moglie è proprio bella” (your wife is so beautiful) and proceeded to indicate the way. Not with her finger. Physically walking ahead of the car all the way to the shop. Then told us where to park. She had no affiliation with the shop.
That’s just what Marche hospitality is like. Tuscany before millions of tourists arrived.
Meeting Alessio
Arrived there, perhaps alerted by his small dog barking with excitement, the owner (Alessio) came downstairs to greet us and invited us in. He’s the son of Fabrizio, who started it all decades ago.
The hats are stored upstairs in a room in their house. The lab where the magic happens is on the main floor.
By North American standards, this might seem a rather non-industrial setup. And that’s because it isn’t. It is a family and artisanal business, and a rather common setup around these parts.
Alessio was very friendly and spoke a rather workable English (for Alicia’s sake). He explained how their shop operates and how the hats are made. They do most of their sales online and sell both retail and wholesale.
Choosing some hats
I chose Cappelleria Dichiara because of its reputation. They have many happy customers, and local friends recommended them. Their 4.9-star rating on Google clearly confirms the recommendations. They didn’t disappoint.
What I enjoyed about the process was the lack of sales pressure or rush. Alessio showed us dozens of options before we picked our new hats.
We started with berets for me. The two main models were Berretto Peaky, in the classical Peaky Blinders newsboy style, and Coppola Duck, which is more Sicilian looking, has no button on top, and a slimmer profile.
Then each of these models has a slew of color, pattern, and material choices.
I settled for a navy and a beige Coppola, both in linen, one of the best materials for the summer heat. They look stylish in my opinion and are very comfortable.
The trouble was that my head sits between sizes. Their 59 was too tight. 61, way too loose, like the beret I misplaced on my way to Marche.
Alessio reassured me that it wouldn’t be a problem. He summoned his cousin Alessia, who quickly adapted the two hats so that they’d fit me. The 59 became, de facto, a perfect 60.
I test-drove the navy one on a sunny day in nearby Ascoli Piceno, and it performed brilliantly. It protected my bald head, didn’t feel warm, and I forgot I was wearing a hat most of the time.
For Alicia, there were even more hat types to choose from. The model that caught her eye (and mine) was the Pamela Melange e Rafia. In blue and in green.
Alessia and Alessio proceeded to adjust hers too in front of us in the lab downstairs until they fit Alicia’s head perfectly.
You might be forgiven for mistaking hats made in Italy by a local family, custom-adjusted to fit you, for an expensive ordeal. It was not. Alicia’s hats were 29.90 euros each. My linen ones, 45 euros. I’ve paid more for ill-fitting, mass-produced hats ordered off Amazon.
Zia Maria gave us a show
Walking in, we noticed on the side of the lab a bunch of golden hats drying in the sun.
We had to ask. They were straw hats made by Alessio’s aunt Maria. The process of producing them requires the straw to be wet. So they must be air-dried before the finishing workflow can start.
After paying for our four hats (which Alessio slightly discounted), Zia Maria offered to show us the process by quickly producing a hat from scratch. She even gifted us the raw hat as a souvenir.
I recorded the impressive process for you below.
She got it done in less than four minutes. Even at her age, she works at a speed that explains why she and other local artisans manage to produce so many hats in a tiny village. Her degree of hat-making experience is unmatched outside of her postal code.
If I were to start organizing experiences in the Marche region (something I might do in the future), I would definitely include a visit to this hat shop.
Alessio mentioned that they have on occasion done workshops for small groups of tourists interested in trying hat-making themselves, so it might be something you’ll be able to arrange with him if planning to visit with your own group.
You can visit or contact Cappelleria Dichiara at:
Via Saletto 14, Montappone (FM)
Tel: +39 (388) 697-0683
Email: info@cappelleriadichiara.it
Tell them Italy with Antonio sent you so you’ll get special attention. I’m not an affiliate or anything; I just want you to have a great experience, and I’m happy to see this family rewarded for their hard work.
It’s the kind of authentic small-town Italy experience I’ll continue to promote in this new Hidden Gems of Italy series. Subscribe so you don’t miss them.
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What a great post! I’m a daily hat wearer, but I’ve never had one fitted like that. We’ll have to take a trip to Marche next time we’re in Italy.