All this talk of a La San Marco has put me over the edge, thanks Warrior372, I think.
Keep your eyes peeled for a classic lever model if you go down that road. I can not vouch for their semi-autos, as I have never played with one. They do not come up very often. I peruse craigslist across the entire US daily, and in 3 years of looking for them I have only found 2. I was lucky enough to be the first to contact the individuals on both of those machines. There is a very hungry crowd out for them, and if you find one you cannot hesitate for even a second. To make matters worse, not that many were ever imported to the US. Of those that were, not that many have survived. So grab one when you see it. They definitely have a cult following!
Here are a few pictures of mine. The first, an orange 80 series, is in the process of being rebuilt. She is in pieces awaiting powder coating of the inner frame and outer shell. The second, a 70 series with a hand hammered copper shell, has been completely rebuilt from the ground up. It is an extremely rare one, as it is single group machine with the internal capacity of the 2-groups they made in the 70s. I have never seen another on like it.
