Longoni: Italian Excellence in Billiards

Longoni is the most renowned Italian brand in the world of billiards. For 80 years, the Longoni family has been designing, producing, and marketing products for this sport worldwide, especially today, billiard cues.

Longoni cues, still conceived and crafted in Mariano Comense, near Milan, are highly appreciated by top international champions for their precision, design, and reliability.

Environmental attention, workers' protection, and a deeply Italian management style give the brand reliability and prestige. Collaborations with many world champions also ensure constant technical and sporting updates across the product range.

 For more information: www.longonigroup.com

The Origins (1945)

The history of the Longoni brand began in 1945, when Alessandro Longoni, born in 1892 into a family of carpenters, decided to open his own workshop for the production and repair of cues and billiard tables. It was the post-war period: Italy was in ruins but eager to rebuild, and Alessandro, at 53 years old, chose to start over.

He had learned the craft of building billiards and cues by working for years as a skilled worker at the prestigious F.lli Della Chiesa factory in Milan, founded in 1750 and destroyed by Allied bombing during the war.

Mariano Comense and the neighboring towns, part of the renowned Brianza region, had been famous since the 18th century for wood craftsmanship: an ideal environment to found a company requiring expertise, technology, and quality materials.

The first workshop was opened by Alessandro Longoni, father of Renzo, beneath his home on via Montebello, across from Vicolo Costone—a building that still exists today. With help from his wife Maria (born in 1899) and their sons Emilio, Vittorio, and Renzo, Alessandro built a solid clientele and a growing demand for his products within a few years.

A few years later, the family moved to via IV Novembre, still in Mariano, to a larger facility, maintaining the Brianza tradition of having the workshop beneath the home. The blend of family life and work was a typical feature of Lombard culture in the post-war period.

1960s: The Development

The 1960s coincided with the Italian economic boom, and the Longoni brand fully benefited from it. Renzo Longoni, driven by strong personal motivation and immense passion for woodworking, established himself as a specialist first in the production of billiards and then of cues.

His wife Francesca Luzzi, whom he married in 1960, became the managerial soul of the business thanks to her experience in the offices of Moto Guzzi in Mandello del Lario, leading the company's expansion both in Italy and abroad, particularly in Europe and later in the United States.

Longoni billiards, mainly intended for the Italian market, gained increasing fame. At the same time, cues—then primarily one-piece and rack-type—also began to spread. However, demand for high-quality, detachable cues started to emerge, slowly but steadily.

During these years, advanced machinery was acquired from historic brands like Vaula and Pagliani & Provenzale, marking the beginning of large-scale production and an important technological leap.

Marco Tessaro, originally from Varazze in Liguria, joined the team. A master shipwright and technical expert, Tessaro had worked in shipyards and collaborated with historic cue brands in Turin. He would go on to lead production for many years.

In 1965, Renzo developed and patented the first laminated wood shaft, later known as Stratos, and introduced an innovative wooden joint for detachable cues inspired by French models.

Also in 1965, Longoni S.r.l. was officially founded, and the workshop moved to via Cappelletti 56, still in Mariano Comense, where cue production continues to this day.

In 1967, Alessandro Longoni received the Gold Medal from the Industrial Union of Como for his brilliant career.

With support from external consultant Fulvio Guanziroli, the company embarked on its first trips to the United States, beginning a decade-long collaboration with D&R of Chicago. In the second half of the 1990s, D&R would become the official importer of the first collectible Longoni pool cue series (LV and LM series).

1970s: Technical Innovation

In the 1970s, Renzo Longoni consolidated his expertise thanks to the newly acquired machinery, experimenting with innovative materials such as ergal. This led to the creation of the famous LEM cue model, crafted by hammering aluminum Ergal tubes, along with cues featuring new adjustable weight systems.

The Stratos laminated shaft technique, derived from traditional one-piece “Arlecchino” cues, was refined, and production grew significantly due to the introduction of new technologies and machinery. New metal joints were also developed, used for both aluminum and wooden cues.

In Italy, Longoni began collaborations with high-level champions, including Salvatore Centorami, Attilio Sessa, Renato Corbellini, and many others.

In 1971, MariaLuisa was born, and in 1976, Pierluigi, children of Renzo and Francesca (nicknamed Franca). The following year, in 1977, Francesca founded the commercial company Norditalia Ricambi S.r.l. together with Renzo and her brothers. This company became the commercial arm of the Longoni family, specializing in selling billiard accessories. On that occasion, the partners decided to stop the production of competition billiards, while continuing to produce design and home-use tables, supervised by Renzo’s brother Vittorio Angelo.

Meanwhile, demand for high-quality, customizable, detachable cues continued to grow. Renzo and Francesca traveled across Europe to present their products, meet new retailers, and build direct relationships with foreign champions.

In 1978, Alessandro Longoni passed away after a life dedicated to his family and work: the legacy was passed to his sons, who carried on the project launched 33 years earlier with passion and determination.

1980s: Composite Materials and International Recognition

The 1980s marked a new era for the Longoni brand, defined by technological innovation and major sporting collaborations. The company became a reference point in high-level carom billiards, thanks to support from champions like Raymond Ceulemans, Ludo Dielis, Francis Connesson, and a young Marco Zanetti.

For the first time, innovative materials such as carbon fiber, Kevlar, and fiberglass were introduced in cue construction. Longoni was quick to test these materials in its products while maintaining the strong artisanal tradition of working with wood.

At the same time, the company expanded its range of professional accessories, offering products like Blue Diamond chalk, Renzline cloths, and Longoni cue cases, which became benchmarks for players.

In the mid-1980s, after a long collaboration, Marco Tessaro retired. Antonio Saponaro, already a skilled production technician, took over his role.

During this decade, Longoni-sponsored players began to win world titles, giving the brand unprecedented international visibility.

Renzo and Francesca also began their first trips to Asia, visiting Taiwan and South Korea, anticipating a commercial expansion that would prove strategic for the brand in the years to come.

1990s: International Expansion

During the 1990s, one-piece cues gradually lost importance, while there was a strong shift towards detachable cues. To meet this market evolution, Longoni revamped its production lines, introducing more specialized machinery.

It was the decade of the first synthetic fiber cues (models C-94, G-94, K-94) with adjustable weights, and the introduction of Italy’s first CNC pantograph for inlays (1995), which revolutionized cue design and manufacturing, making it more precise and versatile.

A collaboration began with the promising Dick Jaspers, destined to become one of the greatest carom billiards champions in the world.

In 1992, the headquarters of Norditalia Ricambi S.r.l. moved to via Spaino 2 in Mariano Comense, where it is still located today. This company took on a crucial role as the commercial hub for all Longoni products, including cues. In the same year, the billiard table production section was spun off from Longoni S.r.l., creating Longoni B&P in Alzate Brianza, an independent entity led by Vittorio Longoni and his sons.

With the end of the Soviet bloc, Longoni expanded into Russia and Eastern Europe, becoming a key player in major tournaments like the prestigious Longoni Cup in St. Petersburg. A commercial office was opened in Brno, dedicated to Eastern European countries.

In the pool segment, the company established agreements with American brands like Viking and Joss, creating exclusive models like “Joss by Longoni”. In 1995, for the first time, the Longoni brand participated in the prestigious BCA expo in the United States, showcasing its pool cue range in partnership with D&R.

Renzo Longoni designed iconic models like the “Ambra” (LV-4), the “Indiano”, and the “Collection”, enriched with hand-chiseled silver, turquoise, and mother-of-pearl details.

This period also saw the launch of the first butts with real hand-sewn leather strips, a novelty that made the Longoni brand famous for introducing a grip style still highly appreciated today.

The first carbon and Kevlar shafts for pool cues were also introduced, and partnerships began with the most important Canadian suppliers of highly selected hard rock maple, which led to the development of Pro shafts and a new, even higher-performing generation of Stratos shafts.

Collaborations began with top players in the five-pins discipline, such as Gustavo Torregiani and Giampiero Rosanna, both world champions, who became brand ambassadors for many years.