One reason that Bernardellis got hard to find in the US is the rise in the Euro in recent years vs. the value of the US dollar. They were at one time very reasonable--comparable to similar grade Spanish doubles. No longer.
I found my 16-bore hammer VB lightly used in a gunshop in Bologna, and spent almost as much getting it to the US as I spent buying it in the first place; apparently hammer 16s are as unfashionable there as here!
I believe you can still go to the factory in Brescia and order a "semi-custom" shotgun (specify model, stock type, rib, chokes, triggers, barrel length, tubes, etc) and have it delivered in the US. That was true a couple of years ago. If you're in Italy, Brescia and Val Trompia in general is a great place to visit. Shotgun Central!
