Fantini has been present in the mechanical sector since 1914, when Luigi Fantini opened a small metal workshop in Tivoli (Rome) . The business continued until the outbreak of the Second World War, when activities were suspended for the duration of the hostilities. In 1947, Luigi Fantini’s sons – Alfeo Fantini and Mario Fantini – reopened their father’s business, rapidly expanding the old workshop and specializing in producing parts for industrial machinery for companies in the manufacturing sector (paper, tyres, cement). Exploiting the proximity of the famous travertine marble (lapis tiburtinum) extraction basin, in 1979 the company began manufacturing chain saw machines for the extraction of ornamental stone. The first chain saw began its working life in a quarry operated by “Bruno Poggi and sons”, and half a century later there are over 1,900 machines currently in use in quarries all over the world, in fact chain saws are commonly referred to simply as “Fantinis” by those who work in the sector.

In 1989 the company inaugurated its new factory facilities in Anagni (Frascati) where the Automation, Chain Saw Machines and Mechanical divisions remain to this day. Another important moment came in 1998 with the construction of a new 3,000 sq. m expansion to the large-scale production areas at the Anagni site. This new facility was equipped with a heavy metal working department and a vast range of machine tools for the mechanical production processes. In 2001 Fantini Sud began collaborating with the Italian Nuclear Physics Institute (INFN) on the prestigious Opera project. This was the first time the company had worked with a research body and it resulted in the birth of the Fantini Group’s newest business division. As a result of the continuous evolution of the machines, plant and equipment produced for large-scale experimental apparatus, the most recent and innovative area was built at the Anagni site in 2007, covering an area of 3,000 sq. m.