From today, thanks to an agreement between FlixBus, the start-up that has become Europe’s leading coach operator, and Mondadori Store, Italy’s most extensive chain of bookstores, it is possible to buy directly from participating Mondadori stores gift cards for coach trips to over 1,200 cities connected by FlixBus in 26 European countries.

Andrea Incondi, Managing Director of FlixBus Italia, commented on the agreement with Mondadori Store: “We are absolutely delighted to be working with Mondadori Store on the launch of this new gift card, which we are sure will be a big hit with the public and enable us to greatly expand awareness of our services across the whole of Italy and attracting passengers by our concept of travel which has always been something valuable to share and also to give as a gift.”

“The new FlixBus gift card will help us to extend and diversify even more the range of products and services offered by Mondadori Store in the travel sector, an all-round offer that takes in culture and entertainment, aimed also at young people,” stated Francesco Riganti, marketing director of Mondadori Retail.

Meanwhile, Antonio Sorrentino, chief executive of Domec, added: “Domec is immensely proud to participate in the growth of an important brand like FlixBus, providing the support of our technology in order to achieve such ambitious business objectives.”

The gift card is available in three denominations: (€25, €50 and €100) that can be used to buy tickets online (at www.flixbus.it) or using the app, with the code provided on the receipt. Operational processing is by Domec, the Fintech company that operates in the sector of innovative payment and loyalty systems.

Mondadori Retail, Italy’s most extensive network of book shops with 600 outlets. is aiming to grow further with a development plan for the opening of new Mondadori Bookstores across the country, and offering opportunities to become an affiliate of the  chain.

The business model that characterises the Mondadori Group’s is franchising. With over 550 affiliated outlets across Italy, Mondadori Retail offers a capillary coverage able to reach customers even in the smallest towns. The core assortment of books, is supported by a range of other products, such as music, films, stationery and toys, for an all-round cultural offer.

The Mondadori Retail affiliation proposal is aimed at entrepreneurs with a great passion for books and reading, and who want to become protagonists of the cultural life of their town and able to enhance the relationship with customers and the surrounding area.

“Our franchisees can rely on a prestigious brand, consolidated know-how and all of the experience of the leading bookstore group with a solid image built up over the years that is a reference point for culture and entertainment. Our bookstore development plan foresees the expansion of our presence to the most interesting locations, including the region of Puglia, with the aim of bringing our offer even closer to the public,” declared Leonardo Gazza, Mondadori Retail’s sales director for both directly managed and franchised stores.

Affiliates in Puglia will receive all-round support from Mondadori Retail, from the search for and selection of locations to the layout, the definition of the assortment and training, as well as a framework agreement with banks.

To this end, a collaboration arrangement for the region of Puglia has been organised with the Banca Popolare di Bari, which has very deep roots in the area in which Mondadori Retail wants to develop, in order to provide a tailor-made offer, and making use of all of the location-specific financing opportunities.

The Mondadori Retail affiliation proposal will be presented during four Open Days: on Wednesday 21 June in Altamura (c/o Hotel Fuori Le Mura​ – via Maestri del lavoro, 5); Thursday 22 June in Barletta (c/o BEST WESTERN Hotel dei Cavalieri – via Foggia, 40); Wednesday 28 June in Santa Maria al Bagno – Nardò (c/o Grand Hotel Riviera – CDSHotels – via E. Filiberto, 172-174); and Thursday 29 June in Brindisi (c/o Grande Albergo Internazionale – Viale Regina Margherita, 23.). The events will take place between 5 and 7 pm.

For information and bookings: roberta.sambinello@mondadori.it – www.mondadoriretail.com

They are now famous, a constant, a distinctive sign as well as an authentic signature. They are Pao’s (Paolo Bordino) penguins, the protagonists of the “Penguin Heroes” exhibition, from June 13 to July 9 at st art. Art for all, the new artistic project conceived and promoted by Mondadori Store and curated by Angelo Crespi at the Mondadori Megastore in Piazza Duomo. Penguins that are cheerful, simple and full of life, who inevitably provoke a smile and have already “invaded” Italy: in Bologna, Turin, Milan and many other cities.

Born in Milan in 1977, Pao’s first “gym” was the theatre where he trained as a machine operator, sound engineer and stage technician with the company of Franca Rame and Dario Fo. After studying and working at the Teatro alla Scala workshops in Milan, from around 2000, he ventured into street art, which he has never left: urban artwork, created out of curiosity, became more and more frequent, and led to the famous “Panettoni” (road blockers) in the form of penguins, aliens and characters from popular culture, from Star Wars’ R2D2 to the superhero Iron Man.

“In 2000 I was just drawing cartoons for my personal pleasure, then one day I saw a coloured kerbstone. It was a light bulb moment and made me think that it could become one of my characters. From the preparatory drawings, a penguin emerged that said, “draw me”. That was how I started drawing a whole population on the street. In fact a friend of mine said that my name, Pao, stands for Pinguini ad Oltranza (Penguins forever). Since then penguins have become my trademark, almost a totemic animal,” the artist recalls.

2005 saw the creation of the Paopao Studio, the creative and operational base of Pao and Laura, a graphic designer who, with Pao, created and developed graphics and communication projects. Various ventures with big companies led to Pao expanding production and to look for new media, which led to experimentations with materials, prospective research, visual distortions and a study of curved geometry that resulted in the development of his art on canvas and three-dimensional fiberglass. His works do not just form part of the urban context, but become an integral part of the urban environment, and also of mass society, which is reflected in some of his works. To date, Pao’s work has been exhibited at various art exhibitions, including the Milan Contemporary Art Pavilion, the Triennale of Milan and the Venice Biennale.

That Pao’s art is for everyone is also reflected in his words: “My sources of inspiration are varied, ranging from pop art to comics, as well as video games and cartoons. Using elements that are familiar to everyone to express concepts is a good way of creating art that people can understand. Today, Homer Simpson is more famous than the President of the United States, and superheroes are the new saints. So it’s normal to use this new iconography.”

Pao’s “penguin heroes” exhibition is the first of the new cycle of st art for all. It will be followed by “stencil mood story” by Mr Savethewall (from 11 July to 10 September), Giacom’s “contemporary comics mix” (from 12 September to 8 October) and “pop up flowers” by Cardeña (from 10 October to 12 November). The first four artists are among the best examples of street or pop art, starting from Pao, one of the most recognisable, having worked in both the urban context and the broader world of communications. His show will be followed by exhibitions of Mr Savethewall, Massimo Giacon, by Felipe Cardeña, each of whom represents in a personal way the contemporary art in this genre.

All of the exhibitions feature original work and the creation of copies and gadgets available to the public at affordable prices. In addition, installations and performances will also feature, making the exhibition space a moment of entertainment and communication.

“UNDERSTANDING CONTEMPORARY ART”

In June a cycle of conferences will begin with the “Understading Contemporay Art”, in which artists, curators and authors will have a chance to discuss, with book and catalogue presentations, the much discussed issue of how to approach contemporary art, alos in its more eccentric and surprising manifestations.

Initially conceived for the two Mondadori Megastores in Milan (Duomo and Marghera), the “st art”, project wants to involve the entire Mondadori Retail area, which now has some 600 outlets across Italy, as well as though online communication and e-commerce, points of excellence for the Group, by creating an new short circuit between books and pop art, physical and online exhibitions, original work and multiple copies, digital and traditional communication, to encourage and stimulate the dissemination and contamination of art and the public.

st art is an artistic project curated by Angelo Crespi, and has been made possible by the invaluable contribution of Sergio Pappalettera, visual artist and expert in marketing and communication strategies. st art is produced in partnership with Deodato Arte.

st art. Art for all
Mondadori Megastore, Piazza Duomo Milan
Open: 9 am – 11 pm | Entrance: Free
www.mondadoristore.it | #StartInStore

Mondadori Store is launching “st art. L’arte per tutti” (Art for all), a new calendar of exhibitions featuring pop art and a cycle of encounters between artists, curators and authors, organised by Angelo Crespi, with the aim of making contemporary art and its protagonists even more comprehensible and accessible, starting from the most pop dimension. In fact, today, one of the most interesting areas of contemporary art is street and pop art, an essentially democratic art, with a strong public connotation, able also to face up to and play with the world of media.

The first names on show include, Pao, Felipe Cardeña, Massimo Giacon and Mr. Savethewall.

WIKI COLLAGE & PLOTTER TAKE AWAY

“st art” was inaugurated with a collective public live performance of WIKI COLLAGE & PLOTTER TAKE AWAY, an enormous 8 metre-long collage of cut outs from the pop art of the first four artists featured in the new programme – Pao’s penguins, the flowers and Superman by Felipe Cardeña, Massimo Giacon’s figures and those by Mr. Savethewall.

The collage was produced directly by the public, supervised by a crew of young assistants, with the possibility of logging the posters by the artitists present nad take them home. Produced by the Mondadori Store with Cardeña Crew and Atelier Spazio Xpò, in collaboration with DeodatoArte.

FROM 13 JUNE: A NEW CYCLE OF EXHIBITIONS

13 June – 9 July: Pao / “penguin heroes”

11 July – 10 September: Mr. Savethewall / “stencil mood story”

12 September – 8 October: Giacon / “contemporary comics mix”

10 October – 12 November: Cardeña / “pop up flowers”

The first four artists on show at st art from 13 June, in the events area on the third floor of the Mondadori Megastore in Piazza Duomo in Milan, are among the best exemplars of street or pop art, starting with Pao who is the most recognisable having worked in both an urban context and more widely in the media. This will be followed in succession by Mr. Savethewall, Massimo Giacon, and Felipe Cardeña, each of whom represents this type of contemporary art in their own way. The shows will feature original works and the creation of multiples and gadgets, available to the public. There will also be a series of installations and performances, making the exhibition space also a focal point for shows and communication.

FROM THE BOOK TO THE SPACE

From 16 May, inside the Mondadori Megastore, a work by the Korean artist Jukhee Kwon, entitled Fromthebooktothespace” a word sculpture, will also be on display. The work, which is organised vertically, extending 12 metres from the third floor, reaching the first floor of the Megastore, is made up of “a book that – as the curator of the show Cinzia Chiari says – is a suspended sculpture made of old books, the publications of the kind of great authors who have made the history of literature; volumes, often abandoned and unused, that the Korean artists finds in bookshops across the world among rare editions. Jukhee inscribes each book by hand with the precision and patience that is part of his orentale background. The pages create sculpted scenes that open and fall as if they were a cascade of letters, and suggesting the need for words to come out of the books in order to be read. A eulogy to the printed book that, despite the advent of digital, remains a necessary, fundamental and irreplaceable support. The book opens up and expands, becoming an object that, in its new physical and metaphorical form, sublimates itself in a work of art.”

“UNDERSTANDING CONTEMPORARY ART”

In June a cycle of conferences will begin with the “Understading Contemporay Art”, in which artists, curators and authors will have a chance to discuss, with book and catalogue presentations, the much discussed issue of how to approach contemporary art, alos in its more eccentric and surprising manifestations.

Initially conceived for the two Mondadori Megastores in Milan (Duomo and Marghera), the “st art”, project wants to involve the entire Mondadori Retail area, which now has some 600 outlets across Italy, as well as though online communication and e-commerce, points of excellence for the Group, by creating an new short circuit between books and pop art, physical and online exhibitions, original work and multiple copies, digital and traditional communication, to encourage and stimulate the dissemination and contamination of art and the public.

st art is an artistic project curated by Angelo Crespi.

st art has been made possible by the invaluable contribution of Sergio Pappalettera, visual artist and expert in marketing and communication strategies, who designed the logo and the integrated communications of the entire project.

st art is produced in partnership with Deodato Arte, a brand established in 2001 which, since 2012, has concentrated on communications and the on and offline sale, above all, of pop artists linked to street art.

st art. Art for all
Mondadori Megastore, Piazza Duomo Milan
Open: 9 am – 11 pm | Entrance: Free
www.mondadoristore.it | #StartInStore

Mondadori Store, Italy’s most extensive network of bookshops, today brings its customers Apple Pay, which is transforming mobile payments with an easy, secure and private way to pay that’s fast and convenient.

Apple Pay is available at Mondadori Stores in all of Italy’s main cities, which means that Mondadori Store can offer its customers an even more gratifying and innovative shopping experience that simplifies and accelerates the buying process, which takes just a second by holding your iPhone near the reader with your finger on Touch ID.

Security and privacy is at the core of Apple Pay. When you use a credit or debit card with Apple Pay, the actual card numbers are not stored on the device, nor on Apple servers. Instead, a unique Device Account Number is assigned, encrypted and securely stored in the Secure Element on your device. Each transaction is authorized with a one-time unique dynamic security code.

Apple Pay is easy to set up and users will continue to receive all of the rewards and benefits offered by credit and debit cards. In stores, Apple Pay works with iPhone SE, iPhone 6 and later, and Apple Watch.

Online shopping in apps and on websites accepting Apple Pay is as simple as the touch of a finger with Touch ID, so there’s no need to manually fill out lengthy account forms or repeatedly type in shipping and billing information. When paying for goods and services on the go in apps or Safari, Apple Pay works with iPhone 6 and later, iPhone SE, iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, and iPad mini 3 and later. You can also use Apple Pay in Safari on any Mac introduced in or after 2012 running macOS Sierra and confirm the payment with iPhone 6 or later or Apple Watch, or with Touch ID on the new MacBook Pro.

For more information on Apple Pay, visit: https://www.apple.com/it/apple-pay/.

Mondadori Store is Italy’s most extensive chain of bookstores in Italy. With more than 600 outlets across the country and the e-commerce website Mondadoristore.it serving over 20 million customers a year.

The Mondadori Megastore in Piazza Duomo, the largest space dedicated to culture and leisure in the heart of Milan, celebrates with the public it’s first 10 years with a calendar of events, from 19 April right through to the end of May.

For tens years an exceptional driver of cultural events and presentations in the city, the Mondadori Megastore in Piazza Duomo has in this time become an established point of meeting and entertainment for Milan with a varied offer ranging from meetings with authors, singers and protagonists from the world of entertainment to workshops and initiatives for children.

In the week from 19 to 23 April dedicated to the  new book fair Tempo di Libri, the Mondadori Megastore Duomo will also become one of the locations for Fuori Tempo di Libri, a series on events that will animate the city of Milan with book-related activities such as readings, literary cocktails and musical performances.

The inaugural event will take place on Wednesday 19 April, from 5.30 pm to 9 pm when the megastore will be animated by cosplayers and literary-themed games (Sherlock Holmes, Madame Bovary, Wonder Woman, Harry Potter), wine and chocolate to toast the store’s 10^th anniversary, free sweets for customers and the opening to the public of the 3^rd floor terrace, for those who wish to photograph Piazza Duomo from a privileged vantage point.

At 6.30 pm authors in conversation moderated by Alessandro Barbaglia, with the writers Paola Calvetti (Mondadori), Fabiana Giacomotti (Mondadori Electa), Marco Weiss (Frassinelli) and the B.Livers (Sperling&Kupfer).

The cosplayers of Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, Madame Bovary and Alice in Wonderland will also animate Sunday 23 April, from 5.30 to 9 pm.

An award ceremony will take place on Thursday 20 April at 6 pm for the first edition of the competition “6 romanzi in cerca di autore” (6 Novels in Search of an Author), organised by Kobo Writing Life, Mondadori Store and PassioneScrittore, and aimed at aspiring authors and self publishers.

At 6 pm on Friday 21 April the protagonists will be the singer Nada, presenting her new album La posa, recorded with Ferruccio Spinetti and Fausto Mesolella, and the writer Antonio Dikele Distefano, bookseller for a day.

On Saturday 22 April at 6.30 pm, another opportunity to hear authors in conversation moderated by Alessandro Barbaglia, with the writers Carolina Bocca (Mondadori Electa), Maurizio de Giovanni (Einaudi), Marcello Fois (Einaudi), Sabina Minardi (Piemme), Sara Rattaro (Sperling&Kupfer) and Michele Vaccari (Frassinelli) and finally, on Sunday 23 April at 4.30 pm, the actor and director Gabriele Lavia will meet the public and sign copies of the book Se vuoi essere contemporaneo leggi i classici (Piemme).

Not only the Mondadori Megastore Duomo, but also the Mondadori Megastores in Via Marghera and Via San Pietro all’Orto and the Rizzoli Galleria will host stories and authors during the week of Tempo di Libri.

At the Mondadori Megastore in Via Marghera, a series of aperitivi with authors will start on Wednesday 19 April at 7 pm 19 with Giulio Xhaet and his I sogni di Martino Sterio (Mondadori Electa), continuing on Thursday 20 April at 8 pm with Giacomo Mazzariol and Mio fratello rincorre i dinosauri (Einaudi), together with Alessandro Barbaglia.

On Friday 21 April at 5 pm, David De Juan Marcos will meet the public to present La migliore delle vite (HarperCollins) and at 7 pm 19 another aperitivo presented by Alessandro Barbaglia withSergio Bambaren, the author of Storia della piccola volpe che mi insegnò il perdono (Sperling&Kupfer).

And finally, on Saturday 22 April at 7 pm, a aperitivo with the authors Enrica Tesio (Mondadori) and Guido Catalano (Rizzoli) on the subject of ET Telefono Casa – Dialoghi d’amore del terzo tipo.

On Thursday 20 April at 7 pm, the  Mondadori Megastore in Via San Pietro all’Orto will host Leslie Lokko, author of La debuttante (Mondadori), in collaboration withDonna Moderna, and on Saturday 22 April at 6.30 pm, the poet Roberto Mussapi with La piuma del Simorgh (Mondadori).

At the Rizzoli Galleria on Wednesday 19 April at 6.30 pm, Andrea Salonia will present the book Domani, chiameranno domani (Mondadori) and on Thursday  20 April at 5.30 pm an event for children with a preview of the illustrated concert byLittle Pier, author of the album Lasciateci la fantasia.

Meanwhile, on Friday and Saturday authors will become booksellers for “È tempo di librai”: on 21 April from 6.30 to 7.30 pm, Roberto Perrone, and from 7.30 to 8.30 pm Marcello Simoni; and on 22 April from 7 to 8 pm Marco Malvaldi and from 8 to 9 pm Paola Calvetti.

Events marking the 10^th anniversary of the Mondadori Megastore Duomo will continue for the whole of April and May.

For more information and a complete list of events, please go to: www.eventi.mondadoristore.it

The colour of the steel of a modern dairy, the natural tones of oak, fodder and earth and, finally, that of mozzarella, white are the chromatic characteristics of the Fattorie Garofalo Mozzarella Bistrot which opened today – 23 February 2017 – in the Mondadori Megastore in Via Marghera in Milan.

The bistro also extends outside the Mondadori store with two large terraces, and representing  a company history marked by tradition and innovation, as well as the promotion of the values ​​of freshness, naturalness and craftsmanship of buffalo mozzarella in the essential language of a clean design while seeking a balance between the past, present and future, developed by Antonio Zagaria and the Costa Group. And all for a future in which the production of cultural events will be presented in the key of food.

Fattorie Garofalo, now in its third generation, is located in Capua where it leads the entire chain: 10 thousand buffalo, reared in the Caserta area and with a turnover of €70 million generated from the sale of buffalo mozzarella, buffalo meat and salami and green electricity generated from biogas and photovoltaic. Today the company is focused on an ambitious expansion plan in direct food retailing, with investments of around €6 million euro per year.

As part of this expansion the Fattorie Garofalo Mozzarella Bistrot in Via Marghera in Milan will be a strategic hub and become a place for cultural events, facilitated by being located within the Mondadori Megastore, and closely identified with the culinary excellence of Made in Italy.

The guest of honour of the inaugural event will be the chef Rosanna Marziale, who, especially for the occasion, has created the recipe “Mozzarella Marghera”, a show cooking event made possible by the innovative open kitchen with a social table, from where the audience can observe the work of the famous chef while sitting around the table.

Raffaele Garofalo, the chairman of Fattorie Garofalo, said: “This Mozzarella Bistrot, in the middle of a store that draws its strength from the diffusion of culture, will become a place dedicated to the production of cultural events that will have as its theme and central line the typical excellence of food that is ‘Made in Italy’, and which are well represented in the Mediterranean Diet, recognised as an intangible heritage by UNESCO.” “The strength of our products – he added – is also in the often fascinating history that generated them and, like our monumental heritage, every year attracts millions to Italy of tourists from all over the world.”

“Thanks to this collaboration the Mondadori Megastore in Via Marghera will be enhanced with a new space for meeting and conviviality focusing on the excellence of Italy’s culinary tradition. We are delighted to be able to offer visitors to our store in the heart of Milan an even more rewarding cultural offer that can satisfy different needs during the day,” said Mario Resca, the chairman of Mondadori Retail.

On the anniversary of the death of David Bowie and 40 from the release of the film “The Man Who Fell to Earth”, Mondadori Store celebrates the great artist with a special event and exhibition, entitled “DAVID BOWIE – THE REAL FACE”.

On 10 January 2017 at 6.30 pm in the Events Space on the 3^rd floor of the Mondadori Megastore in Piazza Duomo in Milan there will be an exceptional display of the original cast of the face of David Bowie made in 1975 during the shooting of “The Man Who Fell to Earth” (1976): the film in which Bowie wore a number of masks and the cast was used by costume designers to ensure a perfect fit. An extraordinary piece that Red Ronnie, after buying it at Sotheby’s in the 1990s, had autographed by David Bowie during a Roxy Bar interview.

A unique event with the extraordinary participation of Red Ronnie and the screening of extracts from “The Man Who Fell to Earth”, a musical performance by Andy Fluon from the Bluvertigo and contributions from the protagonists of the exclusive exhibition “DAVID BOWIE THE REAL FACE” in which artists Andy Fluon, Giovanna Fra, Bianca Lodola, Marco Lodola and Sergio Pappalettera interpret Bowie each in their own style.

The exhibition, part of the St-Art, artist of the month cycle (the cultural project created and promoted by Mondadori Store in collaboration with Milo Goj’s Art Relation), will run until 5 February before continuing at the Teatro Ariston during the Sanremo Festival.

Entitled LuminosaMente, the new light installation at the Mondadori Megastore in Piazza Duomo is by the artist Marco Lodola. The work, which is on display on the store’s façade, is in the form of a big open book that will illuminate the centre of Milan for the coming months.

LuminosaMente celebrates reading as a vehicle for experience and awareness, an invitation to stop and immerse oneself in the luminous stories we can find in books. The illuminated pages symbolise the passing of life through stories and the discovery of new meanings. Symbols like the moon, the circle, the triangle and the square – esoteric forms belonging to the culture and story of humanity – are the way of life that is revealed to the reader through the books.

“We say that reading provides food for the mind; and this is the inspiration behind the idea of an illuminated book. Our lives are all linked by the common denominators of experience, discovery and illumination. The title of the work, LuminosaMente, indicates the natural need of every human being to know. In a fast-moving world, in which the media bombard us with notions and news, the intention is to attract the attention of people who still don’t appreciate the value of immersing themselves in a luminous story different to their own,” commented Marco Lodola.

LuminosaMente continues the cycle of initiatives created by Mondadori Store to bring people closer to contemporary art which began with “St-Art, artist of the months”, a series that, for over a year, exhibits new young talent and established names in the Mondadori Megastores in Piazza Duomo and Via Marghera in Milan. The project features a number of other activities open to the public, including the exhibition of light sculptures by the artist Marco Lodola, who for Mondadori Store has already produced Eden, the ballerina symbolising life and passion, and Mio Cugino, marking the tenth anniversary of Italy’s World Cup victory.

The initiative is curated and promoted by the artistic agency Avangart Connessioni Creative.

This year Mondadori Store is launching a special competition for customers who buy, during the Christmas season, books, music, films, toys, gift boxes and stationery at one of the 600 stores across Italy or from Mondadoristore.it.

The prizes available include, a book “for life”, with which a lucky reader, drawn from all those who participate in the Mondadori Store initiative, will be able to enrich his or her personal library. The winner will receive directly at home one book every month for 30 years, a total of 360 books,  chosen on the basis of the reader’s preferences.

The Mondadori Store competition also aims to reward Italian families with a gift of one year’s shopping and a year of petrol, two important elements in the family budget. For the first name draw, a coupon worth €8,000 to spend at a preferred supermarket, and, for the second name drawn,  a coupon worth del €4,000 in petrol that can be used at a petrol station chosen by the customer.

Finally, there are also 1,000 Mondadori Store €5 gift cards.

The promotion will run until 8 January, when you buy using the PAYBACK card, one of the products in the 2016 Mondadori Store Christmas Gift Guide, available in stores and online. For full information and rules, please go to Mondadoristore.it.