Historical note: the pressure cooker, one of the real “basics” for a manufacturer in our sector, is held to be one of the few really “novel” items, one of the few innovations in the manufacture of household goods in the twentieth century. This is not true: the pressure cooker was invented by a brilliant French scientist called Denis Papin way back in 1679! What is more, pressure cookers that worked very much on the same principle as modern ones were already listed in the catalogues of London craftsmen in the early nineteenth century. This is yet more proof - as if it were needed! - of how in our business we are always dealing with old, if not ancient, vessels that have evolved steadily to a very high level of sophistication (compared with the Stockpot, the Glass or the Bowl, which date back thousands of years and are now extremely refined, the Car or the Aeroplane are mere babes who still have to grow). But this is literature. We knew for some time that a pressure cooker was lacking in the catalogue of a producer of metal household goods, which is basically what Alessi still is, at least nominally. In fact, we had already thought about this at length and sounded out a few designers. We finally chose Stefano Giovannoni, who created the successful range of “Mami” pans into which this new product will be incorporated. Stefano and my technicians literally spent years on the project, but I think they’ve admirably realised the difficult task of creating a pressure cooker worthy of the Alessi name. They worked with great care and skill on an object that is particularly delicate and complex from a technical and functional point of view, creating a sophisticated, state-of-the-art cooking utensil and finally one that is beautiful to look at, when the majority are badly-designed and unsightly. I think the results more than offset the slightly higher price of this superb design. Several years have passed since the start of the design project and I think that Stefano and our technicians have done an excellent job and met the challenge of creating a pressure cooker worthy of being called an Alessi. They acted carefully and with expertise in order to produce an item that is particularly delicate and complex from a technical and functional standpoint. They were able to create a sophisticated and technologically evolved cooking tool that is, at long last, “beautiful,” in an environment that seemed doomed to loiter in a relentless mood of sloppy ungainliness.Several years have passed since the start of the design project and I think that Stefano and my technicians have done an excellent job and met the challenge of creating a pressure cooker worthy of being called an Alessi. They acted carefully and with expertise in order to produce an item that is particularly delicate and complex from a technical and functional standpoint. They were able to create a sophisticated and technologically evolved cooking tool that is, at long last, “beautiful,” in an environment that seemed doomed to loiter in a relentless mood of sloppy ungainliness.