Month: October 2021

Mondadori Retail continues the plan to develop its network of bookstores across Italy from north to south, and kicks off a new training project for the network’s booksellers.

After the 10 bookstores inaugurated in the first half of the year, another 10 stores will open to the public by end 2021. The plan brings the offering of the most extensive network of bookstores in Italy even closer to readers, with the directly-managed medium-size stores located in the larger cities, and the franchised ones in the smaller populated areas.

Two new directly-managed Mondadori Bookstores will open over the next few months: the first in Lombardy, inside the Fiordaliso mall in Rozzano (Milan), which will be inaugurated on 11 November 2021, followed by a second opening in Emilia Romagna.

Eight new franchised Mondadori Bookstores and Mondadori Points are expected to open in the final part of the year in Emilia Romagna, Latium, Campania, Apulia, Calabria and Sicily.

Mondadori Retail also enhances the services dedicated to franchisees with the new training program called Percorsi. The new courses are meant to provide the over 500 affiliated booksellers with additional tools and guidance to enhance and increase their daily bookstore activities, through insights into the evolving landscape of the publishing world in recent years and the relationship between booksellers and readers in the digital age.

“We have built a training path to be alongside our affiliates in an even closer way, providing them with an opportunity for in-depth analysis and discussion that will help them nurture their relationship with readers even more. Bookstores are outposts of culture that can add value to the local area and its communities; today, they are turning more and more into vital gathering spots where people converge for the pleasure of discovering new stories. Our new openings bear further proof of their importance for the buoyancy of the sector, which is also driven by the dedication and hard work of booksellers throughout Italy, key figures in the promotion of reading in our Country”, says Carmine Perna, Managing Director of Mondadori Retail.

Percorsi is divided into four sessions covering several topics, from market scenarios to the enhancement of books and their assortment inside the store, from customer relations to exploring the synergies between the physical and digital world, with industry professionals taking the floor.

“The present and future of Bookstores” is the focal theme of the opening session, graced by the address from Prof. Paola Dubini from the Bocconi University. The publishing market in Italy is constantly evolving; the last 18 months, in particular, have marked a true watershed, with a few major aspects coming to the fore. The session will explore the dynamics of the sector, how to promote peculiarity in the local area, the bookseller role and the next steps to be taken.

The Percorsi cycle continues in November with the second session dedicated to “Assortment, catalogue, local area: building value for the customer“. Building an assortment is crucial to meet the needs of readers and to cover the local area: what are the pillars for building the right offer? How to enhance readers and the local area? What role do categories hold and how can choices be guided?

In 2022, Percorsi will continue with two training events that will address how to manage customers and their satisfaction and the new opportunities offered by cross-channel marketing, which will be followed by new training workshops next year.

Thursday 28 October sees the opening in Ravenna of a new Mondadori book shop.

The city’s first Mondadori Bookstore will offer all readers and enthusiasts more than 150 square metres of culture and entertainment in the heart of the historic centre, just a few steps from the tomb of Dante Alighieri.

The new book shop will in fact combine a wide selection of books with a rich programme of events designed to promote and enhance reading, with contributions from local and national authors. A space to enjoy browsing through books and finding new stories, exchanging ideas and opinions with booksellers and other readers.

«The opening of a new bookstore in the historic centre of Ravenna has a special significance» said Riccardo Vitali, the businessman affiliated with the Mondadori Store network. «The city is a point of reference in Romagna for its rich and lively cultural life. We can’t wait to make our contribution with a book shop that is suitable for all and with events dedicated to popular authors in the area».

The Mondadori Bookstore in Via Ricci will stock a catalogue of over 20,000 titles, curated by three expert and enthusiastic booksellers, ready to welcome visitors seven days a week with new suggestions and proposals: from fiction to non-fiction, and miscellaneous books to the classics, with an extensive section dedicated to comics such as manga, superheroes and graphic novels, a genre that is increasingly popular with readers.

There is, of course, also an entire area dedicated to children and teens, with a selected range of educational games e illustrated books to stimulate the creativity and imagination of younger readers.

The offer that is complemented by an assortment of the best stationery products, with lots of gift ideas, gift boxes and gift cards.

All Mondadori Bookstore customers will also be able to take advantage of digital services such as Pick Up Point, which enables you to collect a book purchased on Mondadoristore.it for free from the point of sale, choosing from a catalogue of over 1 million titles; Prenota e ritira (Order and collect), which offer the possibility of ordering online and then collecting and paying in the store; and Invia a casa (Home delivery), to have products ordered from the bookstore delivered to your home.

MONDADORI BOOKSTORE
Via Corrado Ricci 16, 48121, Ravenna
Orari: lun-dom 09.30 – 19.30
E-mail: ravennamondadori@gmail.com – Tel. 0544/ 205686
https://www.mondadoristore.it/negozi
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Grazia, the leading 100% Italian fashion brand, with 21 editions around the world and edited by Silvia Grilli, has launched a special issue dedicate to the redesign, following the pandemic, of the cities, spaces and nature that surrounds us. The issue has been guest edited by the internationally renowned architects and designers Patricia Viel and Antonio Citterio.

Grazia, on newsstands from Wednesday 20 October, reflects of the desire and the need to feel part of a community after two years of lockdown, the need to be with others and to reinvent, in this light, the environment, cultural spaces and the places where we work. While also reappropriating green areas and the countryside; and finding a new way of being with our families and by ourselves.

“We want to take back our cities, be in the midst of others and fill up on life after almost two years of isolation,” writes the editor Silvia Grilli. “The euphoria you can feel is intense. It is moving to finally be able to embrace people again. Yes, we are here in the flesh, not on a computer screen. So, one day I asked two great and internationally renowned architects and designers, Patricia Viel and Antonio Citterio, to put together this issue of Grazia with their outstanding vision. This edition is dedicated to the reinvention of our cities, of nature, both our external and internal spaces,” concluded Grilli.

“It was wonderful to immerse ourselves in a new experience as ‘guest editors’ of Grazia, led by its talented editor Silvia Grilli. This issue has enabled us to confront the responsibility that we, as architects and urban planners who design cities, have: a role but also a privilege that encourages us to seize today’s challenges as an opportunity for tomorrow,” said the architects Patricia Viel and Antonio Citterio.

The issue that readers will find on newsstands is full of unpublished observations and contributions from personalities including politicians, writers, designers, journalists, entrepreneurs and architects. Particularly exciting is the story written by Dacia Maraini for Grazia, or the reflections of Roberto Cingolani, Minister for Ecological Transition, who explains to the magazine how we can make a real ecological and digital change. Grazia also went to the ADI Design Museum, an exceptional setting for the fashion shoot with cover star Matilde Gioli: the actress poses among unique and iconic design items, created by some of the greatest architects and designers of our time.

There is also a range of contributions from personalities linked to the world of business such as Carla Sozzani, the Italian gallerist and entrepreneur, who shares with Grazia her idea of the city as a department store, where the role of culture and boutique experience are fundamental for the relaunch of our cities and their craftsmanship skills. There are also lots of interviews with exceptional personalities, spectacular fashion shoots and a report from the suburbs of Milan with the singer-songwriter Rkomi.

Grazia readers will also find a series of columns dedicated to design, with pieces that have made history and that will stand the test of time. Plus, design will also cross over onto the beauty pages and the key objects of a beauty case, where new cosmetic packs increasingly combine aesthetics, function and sensoriality.

Grazia’s story continues with a rich programme on the brand’s social media profiles. Today, Wednesday 20 October, the editor Silvia Grilli will interview both the guest editors Patricia Viel and Antonio Citterio live on the Instagram channel, as well as the protagonist of the cover Matilde Gioli. Other live shows with the protagonists of the issue will feature in the following days.

With this initiative, Grazia confirms its role as a brand capable of constantly evolving, making the brand a point of reference for over 3.7 million users and readers (Source: Nielsen Media Impact Data Fusion, March 2021) and over 1.6 million fans (Source: Shareablee plus Tik Tok and Pinterest Insight, September 2021).

Also this second issue of Grazia dedicated to the world of design has attracted a lot of interest from the advertising market, attracting numerous furniture companies. In fact, this special edition has sold 100 advertising pages, of which 30% in the furniture sector. Since the beginning of 2021, design has joined the magazine’s editorial calendar in a structured way – with ten monthly appointments throughout the year and two extraordinary issues – with sales in this sector that have tripled compared with 2020.

Triennale Milano & Electa are devoting a long-awaited exhibition to Saul Steinberg (1914-1999), curated by Italo Lupi and Marco Belpoliti in collaboration with Francesca Pellicciari. The exhibition is a tribute that Milan owes to this great artist, who dedicated so many of his sharply intelligent works to the city in which he resided during his formative years.

The Observatory on changes in markets and consumers of AdKaora, the digital agency of the Mondadori Group specializing in mobile advertising and proximity marketing, has published the new research “The pharmacy of the future”: focusing on an analysis of the transformations in pharma sector in 2021 and the definition of the new profile being adopted by pharmacies as they evolve as points of sale.

In 2021 physical pharmacies have broadened their catchment area, expanding from a traditionally local clientele to customers of online pharmacies, which are constantly growing as support platforms for physical outlets, which continue to offer a customer experience that cannot be replicated on the web.

In addition to providing medicines and health and beauty advice, pharmacies are also becoming authentic prevention centres and service hubs, which while on the one hand requires a significant effort in terms of adaptation and investment aimed at supporting the transformation, on the other hand they continue to have undisputed advantages.

The aim of the survey was to investigate how consumer needs regarding to pharmaceutical products have changed and changes in buying habits, the relationship with physical points of sale and the effectiveness of advertising.

The research is the result of AdKaora’s consolidated knowledge of the market, thanks to the management of geo-fencing and geo-behavioural data on a panel of 9 million ID devices, to an analysis of footfall at more than 470,000 verified points of interest. and surveys conducted on the habits and behaviour of the procurement managers of the CheckBonus app, with which the brand has a multi-year partnership.

Here are some findings that emerged from the study:

• Changes underway: pharmacies are commercial operations that also play a role in providing assistance to people, thus confirming their role as a fundamental and high-potential market that is changing and becoming “service pharmacies”.
• The bricks-and-mortar pharmacy as a point of reference: consumers believe that physical stores are irreplaceable, even though they are increasingly multichannel in terms of the purchasing process.
• Quality and reliability: not very permeable to concepts other than quality and reliability in terms of health, consumers tend to see the pharmacist not only as a seller, but also as a source of expert advice.
• New communication must-haves: brands have started investing once more in communication with a renewed approach and new principles to be taken into consideration.

For the full version of “La farmacia del futuro” (The Pharmacy of the Future), click here.

The survey is part of an in-depth analysis on consumption and purchasing trends that the AdKaora internal Observatory produces regularly during the year, using analytical and measurement tools used for client’s advertising strategies, such as granular data, footfall analysis and consumer insights, which are subsequently used scientifically for information purposes and exclusive publications.

Surrender to the suggestive biodiversity of the sea and the secrets of its extraordinary ecosystem through the language of illusion. Until 31 January 2022, the University of Milano-Bicocca is hosting “IllusiOcean™”, an exhibition conceived and coordinated by Paolo Galli, professor of ecology at the university, and created in collaboration with Mondadori Media and the National Museum of Cinema in Turin.

The aims of the exhibition dedicated to the sea include raising awareness – among civil society, schools of all levels, the academic world and the scientific community – of the importance of achieving the sustainable development objectives for oceanic sciences set by the United Nations for the decade (2021-2030) of oceanic sciences, in particular Goal 14: to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.

The exhibition is an interactive experience divided into three thematic areas.

The first area consists of four rooms and two corners, each examining an aspect of the sea: from the biodiversity of tropical marine ecosystems to the problem of plastic pollution.

The exhibition path begins with a corner dedicated to “Virtual Reality” where, thanks to 3D viewers, visitors can explore the wonders of the world’s coral reefs and discover the process of coral restoration. It is also possible to simulate the sensory experience of an underwater geyser and enjoy an special natural spectacle.

In the “Sottomarino delle illusioni” (Submarine of Illusions) visitors can dive into the depths of the Maldives, an archipelago that hosts some of the world’s largest coral reefs: an area of over 4500 km² of extraordinary biodiversity and nearly 300 different species of coral. In this room, visitors will have the opportunity to get to know the marine organisms that shelter here. But to do this, they will have to sharpen their senses: walking from one side of the space to the other, where they will see the figures shrink or enlarge and algae and fish that transform into strange shapes.

The “Stanza degli specchi” (Room of Mirrors) places us among schools of jellyfish, fascinating marine animals that are found in seas around the world, where they float, driven by currents. And among the luminous umbrellas of these creatures, we can also see traces of the all-too-human threat called pollution.

This room was designed with the support of master glassmaker Fabio Fornasier from Murano, who created glass jellyfish using the traditional manual method and reproduced – also in glass – some of the many plastic objects that infest our seas.

The room “Mare sotto i Riflettori, il cinema racconta gli oceani” (The Sea in the Spotlight, the cinema and the oceans) is the result of collaboration with the National Museum of Cinema in Turin. This section offers a new interactive experience with all the magic of underwater filming, with clips, objects and unique curiosities. “The relationship between man and then sea has always been one of the recurring themes in the history of cinema,” said Domenico De Gaetano, director of the National Museum of Cinema, “our fascination with the underwater world lends itself well to illusions and special effects and we are delighted with this prestigious collaboration, which allows us to show another fascinating side of the Seventh Art.”

The sea is a treasure chest containing many different species of animals and plants: some are easy to spot, others hide and blend in. To recognise them, you need an expert eye, patience and a lot of attention. In the “Labirinto dei segreti marini” (Labyrinth of marine secrets) children from three to five years old can have a lot of fun looking for them and getting lost among the walls of this special room

The second corner, “Messaggio in Bottiglia” (Message in a Bottle), takes us back in time, to when letters were placed in glass bottles and thrown into the sea letting the currents carry them ashore. Fortunately, today we no longer need to throw a message into the ocean to communicate with the world: but through the “ocean that is the web”, visitors can launch their own message of hope to be launched on social networks using a virtual glass bottle.

The second area of the exhibition features 30 giant photographs, taken by some of the greatest experts in underwater photography – including Massimo Boyer – and depicting the evocative illusions created by nature that make our oceans so spectacular: the mimicry of some species of fish, for example, or the phenomenon that generates the effect of underwater waterfalls in Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean.

The third block is dedicated to the work done by high -chool students from the Vittorio Veneto and Luigi Cremona scientific high schools in Milan and the Emilio Sereni Agricultural Technical Institute in Rome. In recent months, around 500 students participated in the “Percorsi per le Competenze Trasversali e per l’Orientamento” (Paths towards Crossover Skills and Orientation) by designing and creating parts of the exhibition: reconstructions of models of the seabed, scientific games, illustrative posters, drawings and audio guides for visitors.

“With IllusiOcean the Milano-Bicocca University takes another important step towards restarting after the pandemic, inviting schools, families and citizens to discover an exhibition dedicated to the sea. We are delighted to inaugurate this exhibition which, thanks to the language of illusions, is not only great fun, but also encourages us to reflect on one of the priorities set by the UN 2030 Agenda: the protection of the health of the sea. It’s a challenge in which our researchers are engaged every day in the study of sustainable development solutions for the protection of the marine ecosystem,” said Deputy Rector, Marco Orlandi.

The exhibition is free and open to the public every Friday from 11am to 6pm and on Saturdays, twice a month, at the same times, at the Galleria della scienza (Buildings U1/U2, 1^st floor, Piazza della Scienza, Milan).

Entrance is by reservation only and you can book on the  illusiocean.it website and present your green pass (vaccination passport) at the door.

In addition, every Tuesday and Thursday morning, from 8am to 10am or from 11am to 1pm, by writing to illusiocean@unimib.it, you can book guided tours for schools.

Thanks to collaboration with Mondadori Media, from the end of October the “IllusiOcean™” exhibition will also be available online, exclusively on the website of Focus, Italy’s most widely read monthly, a reference point for fans and enthusiasts of technology, science, nature, medicine and innovation. By accessing the dedicated section of Focus.it., users can navigate in immersive mode inside the rooms of illusions and discover, in a virtual journey, many curiosities about the sea and its inhabitants.

“The Milano-Bicocca University exhibition organised by Professor Paolo Galli on the optical illusions and the sea is original, stimulating and fun. Three adjectives that have always been part of the DNA of Focus and it was therefore natural for us to offer our partnership to IllusiOcean.  A partnership that, in addition to narrating and describing the exhibition, allows people to visit the exhibition also virtually on Focus.it,” said the editor of Focus, Raffaele Leone. “It is original because it is the result of an original and creative idea; stimulating because it wants to encourage us to reflect on the wonders of the sea and the need to preserve them; fun because it communicates playfully with the special effects of optical illusions. How could Focus not be there?”

And the experience with “IllusiOcean™” is not limited to the exhibition. Throughout the exhibition period, a rich programme of initiatives promoted by Focus and Focus Junior, the magazine that is a point of reference for kids, has been planned to raise the awareness of readers, teachers and students about the marine world and explore the issues raised by the initiative. Starting from the issue of Focus on newsstands this month, which is entirely dedicated to the importance of water: from the cycle of the sea, the planet’s real liquid engine, to the life of the cetaceans that populate the waters of our peninsula, to the story of the coral clinic in the Maldives, with lots of other special unmissable content.

Every week, on focusjunior.it and the magazine’s social media channels, young people can also find insights and curiosities on the issues raised by the exhibition, but not only. In fact, they can also share photos, articles, ideas and suggestions for looking after the seas and oceans with the editorial team, using the email address focusjunior@focusjunior.it: and the most original content will be published both online and in the magazine. “Children, and young people in general, are worried about climate change and the future of the planet: so, as always, Focus Junior gives voice to their thoughts and ideas,” said Sarah Pozzoli, the editor of Focus Junior.

The exhibition is sponsored by the Società italiana di Ecologia (Italian Society of Ecology) – (S.It.E), the Lombardy Region and the City of Milan.

What are the green choices that we can actually adopt every day? What actions can we take with others to safeguard the environment in which we live? These are the questions answered by Greenlife, the new issue of Donna Moderna, on newsstands from Thursday 14 October.

At the heart of the magazine is a 24-page special printed on 100% PEFC recycled paper, with first-hand accounts, advice and insights to discover how to make your lifestyle increasingly sustainable thanks to small and simple daily gestures.

It is need that also emerges from the survey conducted by the brand, in collaboration with BVA – Doxa and Mondadori Lab, which shows that Donna Moderna readers are increasingly likely to adopt virtuous behaviour. Among the most shared issues are attention to energy saving and separate waste disposal (64%), a reduction in the use of plastic (47%) and the purchase of organic and local products (33%).

These initiatives are part of the activities that the brand, a reference point in the women’s segment, has been pursuing with its community to make a concrete contribution to safeguarding the planet. A commitment that started with #BeeGreen, the participatory project with which Donna Moderna this year involved over 9 million readers and users, in sustainable actions with extraordinary results: over 200 tons of CO2 saved, and a home provided for over 1 million bees in Milan.

“We realised that what our readers want to leave to their children is not material goods, but a planet in better condition than they found it in. Our job is to provide inspiration and information, and at the same time record the good practices that the readers themselves introduce into their routines in such a way that an account of this changing lifestyle becomes a sort of collective novel,” said Annalisa Monfreda, editor of Donna Moderna.

The special issue
Featured on the cover of this special issue of Donna Moderna is Camila Raznovich, the presenter of the TV show Kilimanjaro who was selected by Donna Moderna for her green soul. Attentive to the environment, very wary of consumerism and a black belt of separating waste, Camila talks to Donna Moderna about her world of escapes into the green and music, of vintage shopping and recycling, as a house rule but also a question of love: “Care for the environment is a duty and the responsibility of all of us,” she tells the magazine.

Three main issues are developed in the pages of this special.
Starting with the story of the small gestures that we can adopt every day, with the testimonies of 27 women, journalists and readers, who reveal the conscious choices they have made to protect the environment, plus lots of advice on how to put them into practice.

And then there is an in-depth study dedicated to what we can actually do together with others to protect the planet. Extensive space is devoted to the phenomenon of girls and boys who have given life to projects and associations throughout Italy to safeguard the areas in which they live.

A map of Made in Italy excellence will highlight the many records that the country has achieved in terms of sustainability

A storytelling on green issues that the magazine will also develop on the brand’s website and social media channels, in which Greenlife issues will be developed and expanded. From stories to video reels to calls-to-action: content aimed at engaging the brand’s over 2.2 million fans and talking about the sustainable actions that we can adopt every day.

#BeeGreen Honey Day
Donna Moderna initiatives in favour of sustainability have also included the #BeeGreen Honey Day, a unique event, which took place at the Cascina Merlata last September 26, organised to coincide with the UpTown Green Week, and celebrate the honey production of over 1 million bees housed by Donna Moderna and underscore the concrete commitment of the brand and its community to the environment.

An activity that was also promoted through the project’s green ambassadors on their Instagram profiles.

Source: Nielsen Data Fusion Mar 2021
Source: Shareablee plus Tik Tok and Pinterest Insight, September 2021

Grocer’s boy, subtitle reader in the time of silent films, publisher: Arnoldo Mondadori was all of these and much more.

Fifty years after his death, the Fondazione Mondadori, in collaboration with the Mondadori publishing house, has organised a conference which, starting with the figure of the publisher himself, will reflect on the contemporary publishing sector by analysing its structure and characteristics, as well as the changes and challenges it faces today and in the future.

The meeting, which takes place today, Thursday 7 October, will be presented by Luca Formenton, Chairman of the Fondazione Mondadori and publisher of il Saggiatore, who will start bt talking about the main characteristics of Arnoldo Mondadori’s business life, his extraordinary intuition and uncommon ability to always look ahead.

“Semper et ulterius progredi: this is the Latin phrase engraved on the historic Mondadori brand, commissioned by my grandfather Arnoldo. Innovation and an eye on the future were constant features of his approach to the publishing business and it is this spirit that we want to remember today,” declared Luca Formenton, Chairman of Fondazione Mondadori and publisher of il Saggiatore.

In a historical moment in which the world is moving on from what has been the most serious economic and health crisis since the Second World War, the conference offers an opportunity to draw an overview of the various aspects of the publishing market, reflecting on the extraordinary ability of the book industry to evolve to survive, a demonstration of its capacity to “always progress”, thanks to the abilities of publishers and the intrinsic strength of the product.

“Publishing is based on the book as a textual form: beyond constantly changing mdeia and languages, the principal role of the publisher will always be to read, select and publish, no matter in what form,” said Enrico Selva Coddè, Deputy Chairman and CEO Trade of Mondadori Libri.

Following greeting from Antonio Porro, Chief Executive of the Mondadori Group, the conference will proceed with a dialogue with some of the leading figures from Italian and international publishing, presented and moderated by Mario Calabresi.

In presence or through video links, we will hear from Italian and international publishers, managers, writers and protagonists of the main elements of the publishing chain who will reflect on the changes affecting the profession of the publisher, the future for books in a an increasingly digitised world, the new challenges for physical bookshops and e-commerce, the role of social media and the big streaming platforms.

Taking part in the first session of the conference will be: Enrico Selva Coddè, Deputy Chairman and CEO Trade of Mondadori Libri; Núria Cabutí, CEO Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial; Antonio Sellerio, Publisher of Sellerio Morgan Entrekin, President and Publisher of Grove Atlantic Inc. and Eleonora Andreatta, Vice President Italian Language Originals Netflix, sharing a broad spectrum of views and experience.

The afternoon session will feature: Achille Mauri, Chairman of Messaggerie Italiane and Scuola per Librai Umberto e Elisabetta Mauri; Carlo Feltrinelli, CEO of Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore and Chairman of Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli and Librerie Feltrinelli; James Daunt, CEO Barnes&Noble; Stefano Mauri, Chairman and CEO of GeMS; Helena Gustafsson, Chief Content Strategy Officer Storytel; Andrea Gentile, Associate Publisher il Saggiatore and the writer David Grossman.

In su la cima – A documentary
During the day there will also be the first presentation of a documentary film “In su la cima” by the director Chiara Brambilla which tells the story of Arnoldo Mondadori with first-hand accounts on video and images from the archives of his life as a publisher.

To my publisher. Dedications made to Arnoldo Mondadori – Volume II
To coincide with the conference, the volume Al mio editore. Dediche ad Arnoldo Mondadori will be published which is a series of dedications made to Arnoldo Mondadori, and in which the “heroic” biography becomes an opportunity to discuss some of the key moments and figures in the history of the publishing house and its catalogue. The key to this dual story is the dedications and cards by authors, addressed to Arnoldo Mondadori, collected starting on two distinct occasions: the dedications commissioned on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the publishing house, in 1957, bound in an album now preserved in the archive of Mimma Mondadori in the Fondazione Mondadori, and the dedications in the books of Arnoldo’s personal library, now preserved in Ostiglia. The book consists of a selection of these dedications – reproduced and transcribed – accompanied by an introduction that explains the selection criteria and shows the complexities of the relationship between author and publisher. The book was curated by Alberto Cadioli and is the result of close collaboration between the Mondadori publishing house and the Fondazione Mondadori and will be on sale from Monday 11 October.

The conference will be streamed live on the Facebook profile and YouTube channel of the Fondazione Mondadori, and on the LinkedIn page of the Mondadori Group starting at 10.30 today and will be available also on the Facebook page of the Mondadori publishing house.

The stage is set for “Natural Recall”, the latest edition of the Digital Festival dedicated to the home and conceived by CasaFacile, the Mondadori Group magazine edited by Francesca Magni.

Today sees the launch, on the brand’s Facebook and Instagram channels and website, of the CasaFacile Festival making its return after the great success of the first edition dedicated to the “Casa dei Sogni” (“Dreamhouse”), which in April involved a community of over 1 million fans with a reach of 27 million users and a total of 1.7 million video views (Source: Facebook, Instagram and website).

At the heart of the new edition of the Festival is the theme of nature and sustainability: until 30 October a programme of digital content, curated by designers, interiors bloggers, and CasaFacile architects and designers, together with partner companies, with many ideas, solutions and quality products to design and furnish your homes in harmony with the environment.

Every day, dozens of stories and videos to present to users, in new and fun formats, the infinite possibilities we have to improve our lives at home: from reviving an old fireplace in an eco-friendly way, to organising the kitchen to be able to use it while saving food, time and energy. As well as the best choices, from using natural fabrics to sanitising cleaning, which are increasingly important today.

“Our videos are a new way of proposing products and solutions to make the most of our homes. They are fun, are made by people who are not only professionals of digital content production, but who are able to interpret real needs, and therefore create a real sense of identification with both entertainment and rigorous practical content. And they also bring to digital the style of storytelling that we have every month in the print version of the magazine, thanks to which CasaFacile has Italy’s largest and most active community of home and furnishing enthusiasts.” said Francesca Magni, the editor of CasaFacile.

Natural Recall is an invitation to global well-being that starts from these issues and extends to include all kinds of products that can make life at home more pleasant, from those that add atmosphere and liveability to decorative details. But also, furnishings and green solutions that allow you to create a new relationship with the outside world. As well as the equipment you need to create your own home office or spaces dedicated to fitness and hobbies and ways to improve energy performance and comfortable heating.

The ‘green’ theme has been the leitmotif of a series of CasaFacile initiatives aimed at interpreting the needs of its community – which now has over 1.1 million fans, and grew in the first 8 months of the year by 18% compared with 2020 (Source: Shareablee and Pinterest) – for design that is increasingly in tune with nature, and which began with the September issue “Una casa in armonia con la natura” (“A house in harmony with nature”).

And completing this journey, the new issue of CasaFacile, dedicated to a home in harmony with yourself, is on newsstands from tomorrow, Tuesday 5 October.

In this special issue, extensive space is given to the kitchens, the heart of the house as envisaged by CasaFacile: starting from what the new models allow us to do in terms of space optimisation to combine ease of use, conviviality and cooking performance, with special attention to materials selected for sustainability, recyclability, resistance and ease of use.
There is also advice room by room, with a selection of products to create comfort including beds and bedding for a good sleep, and ideas and suggestions on how to organise different spaces, such as walk-in wardrobes.

Thanks to these initiatives, CasaFacile confirms its role as the point of reference for all furniture and lifestyle enthusiasts, with multimedia storytelling approach that engages the brand’s community, from the magazine to the website to social networks, with continuously growing results.

CasaFacile also confirms its position as the market leader in the mass-market monthly homes segment and an authoritative partner for its rising number of advertising clients, who are increasingly aware of the brand’s capacity to generate audience and stimulate interaction with its community.
The extraordinary results of the 2nd Natural Recall digital festival, which has grown compared with the previous edition in April, demonstrates the appeal of a magazine that is capable of creating authoritative content able to accommodate the tastes and needs of its followers. In the period January/October 2021, advertising revenues for CasaFacile (print and digital) rose by 30% compared with the previous year, thanks above all to the very strong input of digital, with leadership in terms of space in its reference segment confirmed at more than 55%.

Rizzoli Education, the Mondadori Group educational publishing house, long engaged in providing educational content and innovative products for learning, is adopting an awareness programme that aims to give schools increasingly inclusive models.

Conscious of the responsibility involved in the production of teaching materials, Rizzoli Education is also promoting a series of concrete actions that place increasing attention on issues such as gender equality, which is also at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Starting from these inspiring principles, the project aims to bring the educational community, both female and male students, their families and teachers closer to the values of gender equality, multiculturalism and inclusion, precisely because plurality of thought is able to offer new opportunities.

Based on these keywords, Rizzoli Education has developed a manifesto, a declaration of values and intentions that was outlined today by Alessandra Porcelli, the editorial director of Rizzoli Education.

“We present a manifesto that is an expression of the values we believe in and the inspiring principles that guide our entire business and that we have matured thanks to our many years of collaboration with Irene Biemmi, a specialist in gender pedagogy at the University of Florence.

As publishers, we constantly deal with such issues, which are of increasing interest, not only in the media and in everyday life, but, in particular, in the world of education and textbooks. Issues on which there is still a long way to go and to which we want to contribute. We do it and we will continue to do so, thanks to the opportunities that we have every day to work alongside with teachers in the development path of new generations. Citizens that we hope will learn to be aware, free from prejudices, and stereotypes of any kind and able to respect and enhance difference,” said Alessandra Porcelli, editorial director of Rizzoli Education.

The manifesto will be presented during a live streaming event organised by Rizzoli Education featuring the participation and testimonies of a range of voices from the worlds of journalism, research, publishing, business, the arts and sport.

They include, the sociolinguist Vera Gheno, the journalist Francesca Mannocchi, the swimmer Federico Morlacchi, the professor of pedagogy Dario Ianes and Francesca Rigolio, Chief Diversity Officer and Head of Human Resources for the Book Division of the Mondadori Group, who underlined:

“Education has always been a fundamental lever for the redistribution of skills and for the best allocation of talent in the labour market and the Rizzoli Education project fully perceive this spirit and interprets its role in a proactive and innovative way,” said Francesca Rigolio, Chief Diversity Officer and Head of Human Resources for the Book Division of the Mondadori Group. “The organisation that a community, and so a company, gives itself has significant consequences on the structure of the opportunities, not only material, that are available to the people who are part of it. By creating a specific Diversity&Inclusion function, the Mondadori Group aims to improve the balance of opportunities offered to its staff, while promoting an inclusive culture against discrimination”, concluded Rigolio.

The event organized by Rizzoli Education will be an opportunity for a reflection and an exchange of the inspiring principles of the publishing house’s project:

Saying no to stereotypes and prejudices.
Valuing people and not their gender. There are no predetermined roles, only female or only male. Women and men are equals in society and in any other context in which they can express their skills and personality.

Looking at plurality and inclusiveness.
Conscious of the changes taking place in society, Rizzoli Education aims to stimulate an inclusive and respectful vision of differences, in line with the principles of fairness and equality, equal opportunities and non-discrimination, adopting an attitude that values differences and reflects a plural and multifaced world.

Language affects reality.
Language and the way we express ourselves are the tools that affect the perception of oneself and others. This is why Rizzoli Education has undertaken to use both verbal and visual language in textbooks that contributes to deconstructing the stereotypes conveyed by language through the research of inclusive and neutral solutions and that do not express prejudice.

Helping to reconfigure the imagination of younger generations.
This commitment is aimed at proposing non-sexist female and male representations and avoiding other forms of prejudice, stereotypes and discrimination, providing more open, aware and free models for both female and male students. The hope of Rizzoli Education is that younger generations, to whose education the company’s books contribute, will be able to expand the possibilities of building their own identity and planning their future, in both educational and professional contexts, as well as in their life choices.

These are the inspiring principles that Rizzoli Education carries out in its daily activity as a publisher of books for schools, making use of the scientific advice of experts on issues of gender and plurality.

Through its collaboration with Erickson, Rizzoli Education has also implemented a series of guidelines focused in particular on issues of gender equality developed by Irene Biemmi.

These indications have resulted in a handbook that has been shared with all the people involved in the creation of textbooks: authors, illustrators, picture researchers, and editors. The overall focus is on a balanced representation of genders, i.e. the protagonists and authors, with a specific focus on textual and visual language through inclusive solutions which leave no space for stereotyped or conventional visions in textbooks.

This project is the result of Rizzoli Education’s many years of experience, both in the development of guidelines on gender equality issues and on content supervision aimed at ensuring compliance with the publishing house’s inspiring principles.

In fact, in 2018 Rizzoli Education, again in collaboration with Erickson and Irene Biemmi, launched the Obiettivo Parità (Objective: parity) project for primary schools: a programme specifically monitored and overseen by Irene Biemmi for the selection of anthological content, language, illustrations and of gender balance in entire works in general.

Five years after the launch of Obiettivo Parità, Rizzoli Education has decided to extend its attention to the principles of gender equality to all of its production, broadening the spectrum of values with a more general reference also to plurality, as featured in the manifesto.

The full presentation of the Rizzoli Education manifesto will be available in live streaming today on the Rizzoli Education YouTube channel https://rizzoli.page.link/41021 today from 4:30 pm.

The Rizzoli Education illustrated manifesto for gender equality and plurality has been realized by Nicolò Canova.