ATTILIO BERNI BIOGRAPHY !

The Berni Collection, the most extensive saxophone collection globally, belongs to Attilio Berni, a saxophonist, collector, and teacher born in Sutri, a historic town approximately 50 km from Rome. Sutri, also known as Antichissima and Claustra Etruriae, significantly shaped Berni’s life as he developed a passion for music and a fascination with iconic instruments from the 1900s. His journey began with the accidental purchase of a Selmer Padless tenor saxophone from a New York taxi driver during his honeymoon in the USA in 1993. What started as a business venture in international marketing of vintage saxophones evolved into a deep connection with the instruments. Recognizing their value, Berni transitioned into becoming a saxophone collector and a dedicated researcher of these instruments’ unique stories. Despite numerous challenges and a challenging journey, he transformed his passionate quest into the first-ever museum dedicated to the saxophone in September 2019. Notably, one of the first saxophones he acquired, a C.G. Conn New Wonder Artist Virtuoso Deluxe made in 1924, featured a poetic inscription dedicated to Mary, a testament to the engraver’s passionate and eternal feelings toward a mysterious lady.