Tipoteca Italiana
A project by Grafiche Antiga
In Italy there are many business realities committed to protect the precious historical and cultural tradition of their country.
Tipoteca Italiana is one of these organizations, highlighted as a best practice by Confindustria Veneto SIAV. It’s a non-profit foundation with the aim of preserving, conserving and hand down the historical heritage in press and publishing. It’s the first museum dedicated to typography in Italy and involves guests and visitors from all over the world. This reality is the maximum expression of creative enhancement of historical and cultural heritage and it was founded by Silvio Antiga, one of the three brothers who manage the famous company Grafiche Antiga.
About twenty-five years ago Silvio Antiga wrote almost eight thousand letters, to all printers and copy shops in Italy, asking if they were in possession of old printing presses and movable types of lead/wood or similar materials. Surprisingly, he received hundreds of responses, he went to the various printing offices throughout the country and collected a significant number of precious materials that were in danger of being thrown and permanently lost. This is how he started what would later become a real museum of typography.
However, we shouldn’t think of this foundation as a traditional museum: Tipoteca Italiana is a living museum, which allows hundreds of Italian and international visitors it hosts every day to actively participate in the memory and exaltation of the evolution of this important discipline. This can be achieved through multiple activities within the museum space - including workshops dedicated to students and professionals to actively use the ancient machinery (since they have all been brought back into use) - organization of events, to which world-famous photographers, graphic designers and printers are invited, exhibitions within the museum gallery, with contemporary art paths linked to the story of book or illustrations, and the possibility of attending lunches or dinners in the restaurant, as an additional opportunity for relationships and conviviality.
The Grafiche Antiga company is supporting and financing a real enhancement of the cultural heritage linked to the printing sector. Thanks to this approach, profitable opportunities have been emerging for the company itself, which is perceived as prosperous, innovative and altruistic as well as an interesting reality for new potential customers and a fascinating benchmark for other organizations.
Visit the website: http://www.tipoteca.it/en/visit/
Credits: Tipoteca Italiana
