Italy has been a source of food dreams for the world for the last several centuries. You can expect high-quality equipment when Italians build something for your kitchen. They may focus primarily on cookware but there are some amazing range hoods that are made in Italy as well.
Many Italian range hood manufacturers are so exclusive that their products are not readily available for sale on the market and you have to contact the manufacturer with your requirements for them to sell you a product.
Owning some of the products on this list is a test of will to convince the company to sell you something. It is a very different world to Asian mass-produced products.
Which Companies Sell Range Hoods Made in Italy? (The Short Answer)
After a mountain of research and some translations, I found 7 different brands that still produce range hoods in Italy. Those are Alpes-INOX, Arclinea, Bertazzoni, Elmar, Falmec, Fulgor Milano and Ilve. Most of these brands just sound like a fancy brand of wine, yet some of the things they build are pure art.
Italian-Made Range Hoods (7 Brands to Choose From)
Italian quality is something that people will seek out when they want to build a kitchen that a chef can be proud of. If you want equipment that will outlast you and possibly your grandchildren then there are choices available in this selection that can do just that. I know that if you are looking at this list then you desire something far beyond the basics in your kitchen.
Alpes-Inox
Alpes-INOX was founded in 1954 in Bassano del Grappa, Italy, ironically with something branded as the “American” kitchen. Perhaps it was the aesthetics on TV at that age but the company wished to appeal to a broad audience. By 1960 it launched its first stainless steel product and that would define the company and its image to this day.
The company is still family owned and located in a perfectly quaint Italian city in the alps. The range hoods it offers are far more modern than you would ever picture coming out of such a historic setting but form follows function and Alpes make some of the sleekest and most modern kitchen equipment in Europe.
Two of the range hood models that Alpes-INOX manufactures in Bassano are:
Arclinea
Arclinea has been around since 1925 when it was founded by Silvio Fortuna Senior. At the time, the company was started to produce windows, doors, and wood furnishings. It pivoted to kitchens in 1960 and started mass-producing kitchens before adding technical equipment such as range hoods in 1980.
The company always focused on making equipment that was commercial grade and still artistic in a minimalist style. Arclinea products are still produced in Caldogno, Italy, just north of Venice.
Like many Italian manufacturers, history is just as important as style and function so the management would never dream of outsourcing its production to cheaper parts of the world.
Arclinea manufactures sleek island hoods as well as hidden downdraft ventilation options. This is another brand for artistic modernism and 2 popular products are found below.
Bertazzoni
Bertazzoni was founded by Francesco Bertazzoni in 1882 in Guastalla, Italy. This makes it one of the older kitchen manufacturers in the world. Although its equipment was originally made by hand in a family workshop, the third generation of the Bertazzoni family built a factory and began mass production in 1909.
To this day its production facility and showroom are still in the same spot. Bertazzoni products were not sold in America until 2005 when it had to expand its oven range for the American market to fit turkeys for Thanksgiving.
I personally prefer the very historic-looking kitchens that Bertazzoni produces but they are far from economical so I included 2 of the more cost-effective models. Many Bertazzoni ovens are 6, 8 or even 12 burners so finding a small range hood can be quite difficult.
Elmar
Ivo De Colle decided to set up Elmar in Biancade north of Venice in 1978, making it one of the younger companies on my list. It is heavily modernist and leans into every design project as a work of art. Staff produce very simple products in lots of various models or lines. Currently they only produce range hoods and one is inspired by organ pipes, whilst the other looks like a strange light fixture.
Elmar is an environmentally conscious company and all of its components and products are 100% recyclable. Around 70% of the components and materials used come from producers within 100km of the factory, making it self-sufficient for 60% of the energy used in production. It is a company that I would feel good about supporting.
There are only 2 range hoods that Elmar produces so I am including both of them below.
Falmec
Falmec began in 1981 and quickly expanded its market to make a name for itself across Europe. It has 7 distribution centers in Europe but its products are still produced entirely in Vittorio Veneto making it the third producer in a row that is just slightly north of Venice. It really is the area for luxury cooking.
Falmec products have won numerous awards which all lavish praise on the company’s style and innovation. Recent examples include the American Good Design Award and the Compasso d’Oro. Its range hoods are more than your average kitchen vent and employ an E.ion system that senses dust, bacteria, fumes, and chemicals and automatically filters the air much like a medical-grade air filter.
Below you can find links to one of the standard range hoods, as well as the company’s award-winning hood for your consideration.
Fulgor
Fulgor has one of the most mobile histories or any of the brands on this list. It started in Gallarate, which is 23 miles from Milan, in 1949. After 50 years in business it was sold to Meneghetti Spa, a Venetian company, which relocated the production to Milan and renamed the company Fulgor Milano.
All of the company’s products are 100% made in Italy even though it has a vast distribution network worldwide. Now staff focus on sleek and minimalist designs that ensure they do not look like a waste of space even in a compact kitchen.
Two products that they produce that exemplify the minimalist aesthetic they often go for are listed below. They are both downdraft designs which of course require a retrofit of your kitchen to reroute the airflow out of the wall instead of the ceiling, but this is appealing for people that have an island stove top.
Ilve
Back to the Venetian side of Italy we go for our next company. Ilve was founded in 1969 in Campodarsego, Italy. It has a steady history of turning out high quality kitchen equipment and received the Good Design Award 2017. Its focus is primarily on large kitchen equipment so this is not something you can squeeze into a 1 bedroom apartment. You are going to need a chef’s kitchen to include products manufactured by Ilve.
Its equipment is mostly traditional and built to last. The products are not kind to the wallet and if you can find a vendor an average range hood will set you back around 5000 dollars.
This shows what kind of quality you can expect from Ilve. Its products are simple and quite elegant, without being modern or flashy. These products show what is available to suit a more traditional style.
