Paben
Italian craftsmanship tradition and innovation

Paolo Mattei's interview, Administrative Manager.

Can you briefly introduce us your company and your production?
Founded in Civitavecchia, between Rome and Tuscany, in the early 1960s, Paben has been able to skillfully combine Italian artisanal tradition with innovation. Its first field was Japanese porcelain, products of the highest quality, which are still highly sought after by collectors today. These items were later joined by gift articles for weddings, First Communions, and baptisms, offering objects that evoke pleasant emotions and sweet memories for a discerning and refined audience. About 30 years ago, thanks to the experience gained in the giftware sector, the company began marketing religious statuary and nativity scenes, which achieved remarkable success and today represent more than half of Paben’s total turnover. Today we can state, without a shadow of a doubt, that there is no shrine, place of worship, or pilgrimage site in Europe where our products are not present.

How do you assess the current situation and future prospects of the Italian market for religious articles?
After the difficult years caused by the pandemic, the sector has recovered and has returned to the sales levels of previous years. In fact, last year, on the occasion of the Jubilee in Rome, there was a real boom in religious giftware. The prospects for the coming years are fairly positive, driven above all by international religious tourism which, fortunately, continues to grow slightly year after year. This applies both to major cities of art and to our smaller villages located in rural areas, especially in Umbria, Tuscany, and the Marche regions.

The fifth edition of Devotio is approaching. What do you expect from this fair?
In light of a domestic market where operators have by now all been acquired, our aim with this trade fair is to gain visibility at a European and intercontinental level. Here, the potential for growth is still significant, and although the web can help with sales activities, our sector remains a very traditional one, where personal relationships and seeing the products in person still represent an important value.

Will you be presenting anything new at “Devotio 2026”? What might that be?
As with every edition, we have added new figures of Saints, such as Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati, Saint Martha of Bethany, and Saint Patrick of Ireland. In the field of nativity scenes, we have also introduced new characters, new settings, and more modern and stylized interpretations of the statues. There will be a corner of the stand where visitors will be able to view light-hearted and cheerful images of the Nativity. Finally, we are proud to present, thanks to the agreement signed with the Vatican Secretariat of State, the statue of the new Pontiff Leo XIV, in addition to those of the two previous Popes, Francis and John Paul II.

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