Sant'Egidio alla Vibrata is a town of about six thousand people on the Vibrata river, in Abruzzo just under the Marche border. Four Di Stefano brothers opened a small knitwear workshop there in 1952 and named it after the mountain range on the horizon: Gran Sasso d'Italia, the highest peak in the Apennines at 2,912 metres.
Seventy-four years later the workshop is still owned by the family, now run by the second and third generations of Di Stefanos. The factory sits ten minutes from the mountain that gave the company its name, and the same limestone light still comes through the workroom windows.
We have brought the house into the shop this season with a small edit of knits and outerwear, and this piece explains what we look at when we buy Gran Sasso and how the pieces are meant to sit.
The craft
Gran Sasso knits fully-fashioned, which means every panel is shaped on the machine to its finished dimensions rather than cut from a sheet of jersey. Panels are joined by rimaglio, the hand-linking process where a technician passes each stitch onto a needle one at a time so the seam sits flat against the body. Shoulders are shaped, not dropped, and the ribbing at the hem and cuffs is knit to hold shape without cutting in.
Shima Seiki whole-garment machines run around the clock alongside the linking benches. Design, dyeing, testing, and finishing all happen under one 40,000 square metre roof that the architect Guido Canali drew for the family. Everything is made in Italy from yarn to garment, and the building runs on its own solar array.
The yarn library covers extra-fine merino, Mongolian cashmere milled in Scotland, mercerised cotton, silk, linen, and lambswool. The house also runs several of its own developed fabrics: Rain Wool, a Teflon-treated water-repellent wool; Air Wool, which uses an air-bubble insulation for warmth without weight; Cash-Wool, a merino spun to sit against the skin like cashmere; and Super Geelong Wool from Australia. Yarn is sourced globally, but every stitch is knit in Sant'Egidio.
The brand
Nello, Eraldo, Alceo, and Francesco Di Stefano opened the workshop in 1952. The four brothers named it after the Gran Sasso d'Italia, the limestone massif that dominates the skyline behind the town. Carlo Di Stefano, Francesco's son, is the global brand manager today. Guido Di Stefano runs the women's collection. The rest of the second and third generations run the business alongside them.
Roughly 400 people work in the Sant'Egidio factory, with about 2,500 across the wider supply chain. The house crossed 80 million euros in turnover in 2025 with a 7.5 percent compound annual growth rate since 2018, and posted 6 to 7 percent growth into the first half of 2026 on strength in the winter season. Sixty to seventy percent of production ships abroad, into more than forty countries and over 2,000 international clients.
Feature coverage in The Rake and editorial from Harry Rosen in the last year have framed Gran Sasso as one of the standard-bearers for Italian knitwear. The house has stayed independent through the wave of consolidation that has swept much of the Italian knit industry, and the Di Stefanos are on record that everything the factory produces goes under the Gran Sasso label.
A note on fit and shrinkage
Gran Sasso runs Italian sizing, generally 46 through 58, which maps to roughly SM through XXL. The cut is a trim modern Italian fit through the chest and body with a set shoulder, not a boxy oversize. Sleeves run a touch longer than most North American brands, which we like on a knit because it lets the cuff settle at the wrist without riding up.
Care matters on any Italian knit at this construction. Hand wash in cool water at 30 degrees or under with a neutral wool detergent, roll the piece in a towel to press the water out, and lay flat to dry away from direct heat. Never hang wet, never wring, and never tumble dry. Fold rather than hang between wears so the shoulders keep their shape. If you follow the label these pieces will hold their line for years.
Size chart
Full measurements for every Gran Sasso piece in the shop live on our Gran Sasso size chart. Every product page also carries the exact chest and length numbers for that specific style.
The range
The Gran Sasso pieces on the floor this season:
- Charcoal Wool Jacket with Eco-Padding. A knit-face outerwear piece with a wool shell and eco-padded lining, cut for the layering weight that carries an Edmonton fall into early winter.
- Black Wool and Cashmere Quarter-Zip Sweater. A mock-collar quarter-zip in a wool and cashmere blend, the piece that sits under a sport coat or over a shirt on its own.
- Vintage Wool Beanie. A ribbed wool beanie in the house's washed-back palette.
- Cashmere Toque. Pure cashmere toque in black, the one you keep in the coat pocket all winter.
More pieces will land through the fall. The buy on knit polos, shawl cardigans, and cashmere crewnecks lands in the shop through October.
Why we carry it
Gran Sasso lands in an unusual middle ground. The construction is what you would find on knits at three times the price: fully-fashioned panels, hand-linked seams, extra-fine merino and cashmere yarns, saddle shoulders shaped rather than sewn on. Because the family owns the entire pipeline in Sant'Egidio, the pricing stays honest for a piece you can wear for a decade.
The competitors we hold Gran Sasso up against are the licensed European houses selling knitwear that ships out of the same handful of Italian factories with a big-name label sewn in. We would rather sell the house that owns the factory.
We carry Gran Sasso because it solves the sweater question for the man who cares how a knit sits at the collar, the shoulder, and the hip, and who does not want a logo doing the talking. It is the closet basic that gets pulled out on the good days and the bad days both.
Come see it
The Gran Sasso pieces are on the floor now at the shop in downtown Edmonton. Walk-ins are welcome during shop hours, or book a private appointment if you want to sit with the range and try a size before you buy. Fittings are on us, coffee too.
Frequently asked
Do you ship Gran Sasso across Canada?
Yes. We ship Gran Sasso across Canada by tracked Canada Post from our shop in downtown Edmonton. Duty-free within Canada, easy returns, free shipping on orders over $200. If you would like to try a size in the shop before you commit, our address and hours are on the contact page.
What is Gran Sasso?
Gran Sasso is a family-owned Italian knitwear house from Sant'Egidio alla Vibrata, a small town in Abruzzo. They have been making knits since 1952 and are known for fully-fashioned construction, hand-linked seams, and yarns like extra-fine merino, cashmere, mercerised cotton, silk, and linen. The name comes from the Gran Sasso d'Italia, the highest peak in the Apennines, which sits about ten minutes from the factory.
Where is Gran Sasso made?
Every Gran Sasso garment is made in Italy at the family's own 40,000 square metre factory in Sant'Egidio alla Vibrata, Abruzzo. Yarn selection, knitting, dyeing, linking, and finishing all happen under one roof. The building was designed by the architect Guido Canali and runs on its own solar array. Roughly 400 people work there directly, with about 2,500 across the wider supply chain.
Who founded Gran Sasso?
Four brothers, Nello, Eraldo, Alceo, and Francesco Di Stefano, started the workshop in 1952. The Di Stefano family still owns it. Carlo Di Stefano, Francesco's son, is the global brand manager today, and the second and third generations of the family run the business together.
How does the sizing run?
Gran Sasso uses Italian sizing, generally 46 through 58, which maps to roughly SM through XXL. The cut is a trim modern Italian fit through the chest and body with a set shoulder, not a boxy oversize. Sleeves run a touch longer than most North American brands, which we like on a knit. Every piece on our site has the exact chest and length measurements listed in the size chart.
How do I care for a Gran Sasso knit?
Hand wash in cool water at 30 degrees or under with a neutral wool detergent. Roll the piece in a towel to press the water out, then lay flat to dry away from direct heat. Never hang wet, never wring, and never tumble dry. Between wears, fold rather than hang so the shoulders keep their shape, and store folded in a cotton bag with cedar or lavender if you are putting a piece away for the season. Cotton pieces will handle a gentle 30 degree wool cycle if you would rather not hand wash.
How is it priced?
Cotton polos and merino crewnecks run in the mid two hundreds to low three hundreds Canadian, with cashmere and cashmere blends a step above. Because Gran Sasso owns the entire pipeline in Italy, from yarn selection through to the finished garment, you are getting a fully-fashioned hand-linked Italian knit at prices well below the licensed European houses selling similar construction.
Has Gran Sasso been in the press lately?
Gran Sasso has been covered by The Rake and Harry Rosen in the last year as one of the standard-bearers for Italian knitwear. The house posted about 80 million euros in turnover in 2025, ships to more than 40 countries with roughly 65 percent of production going abroad, and the third generation of Di Stefanos has now formally joined the leadership team.
