Feltrinelli lands in Montevideo: a bridge of books between Milan and South America

Eleven thousand kilometres from Milan, in the elegant heart of Montevideo, Feltrinelli's red F gives life to what is not a simple commercial landing, but a gesture that interweaves editorial memory and cultural diplomacy. The Italia group opens its first bookstore in South America, choosing a building that is a symbol of the city, the Palacio Pablo Ferrando, an Art Nouveau masterpiece of the 1920s, restored and returned to public life. Sixty thousand titles spread over two floors, 650 square metres, a cafeteria that promises to turn into a literary salon in the evening.

It is not an impromptu debut. Managing director Alessandra Carra had anticipated it in an interview with Sole 24 Ore on 9 May, talking about a bookshop 'in the heart of the city, 650 square metres. A cultural garrison but also a symbol: our gaze is increasingly turned towards South America'. And when asked why Montevideo, this was the answer: 'There is a strong Italia tradition, a lively cultural environment, an active Italian institute. And then a great desire for books. We want to bring our publishing and cultural identity there as well'. Carra had not gone into detail, but Uruguay promises to be the first step in a broader expansion in Latin America.

The choice of Uruguay is not random. For Feltrinelli, Latin America is a key geography. In the 1960s, it was the Milanese publishing house that intercepted and disseminated in Europe some of the voices that were to mark Latin American twentieth-century literature. A link that is renewed today, but with a different posture: no longer just importing talent, but taking root in the territory.

Carlo Feltrinelli, chairman of the group, places the operation in an almost affective dimension: 'Latin America has historically meant many things to Feltrinelli. A literary source and a source of ideas to look to, a continent that has given us deep friendships and profound personal and intellectual bonds, and today it acquires an extra sense, that of discovery, because opening this bookstore is like coming home to friends to share a piece of life together, ready to let things happen, to let meetings take place at the right time and there may be good time to spend together. This is the spirit and emotion with which we are opening our first bookshop in Uruguay: a bridge of friendship, a taste for discovery, a passion for books'.

The project is a collaboration with three local partners active between Uruguay and Argentina: Alejandro Lagazeta, Juan Castillo Marianovich and Paolo Braun. A triangulation that aims to avoid an enclave effect. Managing Director Carra explains: 'With our three local partners we have in a way chosen each other: we have discovered that we speak the same language, believe in the same values and have a common vision.