Brunello Cucinelli brings a collection of books from the University of Cambridge to Gubbio

Three thousand valuable books on archaeology, relating to the civilisations of prehistoric Italia and the pre-Roman period, are on their way from the University of Cambridge, travelling through the Channel Tunnel, to Gubbio, in the heart of Umbria. They form part of a prestigious cultural project that strengthens the ties between Italia and the United Kingdom and also represents a sort of homecoming. These books, which will be donated to the Sperelliana Municipal Library, form part of the personal collection of Professor Simon Stoddart, one of the leading academics in ancient history, and his wife Caroline Malone. In the 1980s, the couple led a groundbreaking excavation campaign in the Gubbio area, uncovering traces of a primitive civilisation from the Stone Age, previously unknown, which would later be identified as the Paleo-Umbrians. Forty years on, that pioneering, Indiana Jones-style campaign is returning to where it all began, thanks to the support of Brunello Cucinelli, the luxury fashion house, which is increasingly carving out a role for itself as a cultural bridge between the two countries.

The “Stoddart-Malone Donation: a library for Gubbio” constitutes the most significant bequest the city of Gubbio has ever received and one of the most significant in Italia, destined to become part of the city’s heritage. The future Stoddart Collection, which will be housed within the public library, stems from the deep bond that the two archaeologists forged with the Umbrian town through decades of study and research in the area. This intensive scholarly work has given rise to an exceptionally rich specialist library dedicated to archaeology, protohistory, the Italic world and ancient history, which the scholars themselves have now chosen to donate to Gubbio so that it may become the shared heritage of the community and a research resource for scholars, students and enthusiasts.

The extensive library belonging to the two English professors would have remained where it was, in Cambridge, had it not been for the interest shown by Brunello Cucinelli, who chose to fund the project through the Art Bonus, recognising its high cultural and scientific value. Thanks to this contribution, estimated at around 50,000 euros, a new room will be fitted out within the municipal library: the space features over one hundred linear metres of shelving, areas dedicated to study and consultation, and an environment designed to welcome researchers and scholars. This unprecedented combination of archaeology, patronage and luxury was presented at a public event by the Councillor for Culture of the Municipality of Gubbio, Paola Salciarini, the Chief Executive of Brunello Cucinelli, Riccardo Stefanelli, and by two professors joining via video link from the University of Cambridge.

For Cucinelli, the establishment of the Stoddart Fund in Gubbio marks the second instance of patronage between Umbria – the company’s home region – and the United Kingdom: a few years ago, the same company had funded an exhibition on St Francis of Assisi, at the National Gallery in London, curated by the Italian Gabriele Finaldi: for the first time in its history, the prestigious museum honoured a Catholic saint with an exhibition. Now Cucinelli has made the reverse journey: he has brought English culture to Italia, to Gubbio – which, as it happens, is the town of St Francis and the Wolf.