Italian publishing boasts, among others, two international records that are little known as they deserve. The former produced the most lively and interesting corporate publishing, a history that spans the entire twentieth century and continues to this day. The second produced a phenomenon
unique in the world, banking publishingan unrivaled story in terms of breadth of production, territorial coverage, importance of content and graphic beauty.
The highest result achieved in the sector is represented by gave Cariplo giftsvolumes published regularly every year over the course of almost half a century. It’s about an unparalleled corpus, indispensable for reconstructing the art, culture and history of the entire Lombardy. It is the most significant example in the world of corporate-banking editorial communicationfor graphic and content quality, for internal articulation of a coherent cultural project and for duration over time. In short, it is a model of true and high corporate culture destined to last over time.
To celebrate the acquisition of the entire collection of 87 titles in 96 volumes of the historic Cassa di Risparmio delle Provincie Lombarde and on the occasion of the Business Culture Week, the Library of via Senato organizes and hosts the exhibition “Le Strenne Cariplo 1955-2000: the jewel of Italian banking publishing” from 8 to 23 November.
Upon completion of the exhibition, Luni il illustrated catalog of the volumes on display with the accurate bibliography. The gifts and other materials on the history and communication of Cariplo – whose bicentenary of the foundation was celebrated last year – now flow into the extraordinary Fund of the History of Italian Business from Unification to the present day, alongside other precious collections.
The exhibition and catalogue, curated by the antiquarian bookseller Andrea Tomasetig, allow for the first time to admire all the magnificent out-of-print editions published with breadth of means and quality of collaborations, refined Christmas tributes to the best customers and institutions in the area. Today those volumes as a whole represent the titles of most extraordinary encyclopedia of art and culture
Lombard.
The gifts on display, printed with great graphic and scientific accuracy from the best publishing houses and entrusted to authoritative historians, they tell the story of the art, architecture, history, language and territory of Lombardy, valorising even the lesser-known excellences and thus tracing a memory of enormous value, never before exhibited as a whole.
Some works are particularly important: for example the pair dedicated to Lombard frescoes of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries (1963 and 1965), a Lombard miniatures (1970) or the precious repertoire in two volumes on Milan in old prints (1969-70). And again the series of 15 titles on painting in individual Lombard centers from the Middle Ages to the eighteenth century (1986-2000), up to the four-volume monograph on the Ambrosiana Library (1992-2002) which closes the long editorial history with its epicenter city of Milan. Added to these are beautiful monographs on the artistic heritage of the cities of Brescia, Bergamo, Cremona, Mantua, Lodi, Pavia, Como, Varese, Lecco and Sondrio. The exhibition initiative is accompanied by conferences and guided tours open to the public.
Via Senato Library
It is a cultural institution that was founded in 1997 with headquarters in via Senato 14, in the heart of Milan. They were inaugurated in 1998 
the activities of the Teatro di Verdura which for fifteen years, in the summer season, proposed dramaturgical and musical initiatives that ranged from ancient prose to experimental shows, from classical music to jazz, animating the Milanese cultural panorama and receiving vast acclaim from the public and critics . In 1999 the Library became the Fondazione Biblioteca di via Senato, with the main aim, as per the Statute, of «pursuing educational and educational purposes for the exclusive research of public utility», through
the diffusion of culture in its many forms and with particular attention to the study of books in all its forms. Throughout its history, the BvS Foundation has created exhibitions and initiatives in its exhibition spaces oriented towards various themes, often inspired by its valuable book heritage; For each event, educational workshops and workshops were also organised, aimed at the public and schools. For several years, the prestigious events of the Ancient Book Exhibition and the Used Book Fair have been organized and promoted, occasions which have found widespread approval among enthusiasts in the bibliophile world and beyond. BvS Edizioni was founded in 2004, which edited and produced series, catalogues, repertoires and guides to the archival heritage of Lombard cultural bodies. The BvS Foundation, with the aim of opening the doors to research and assisting and involving its users, hosts a wide rotation of texts and collections for consultation, promotes new studies, collaborates with young professionals and never stops planning.
Carlo Franza
Tags: Lombard frescoes from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, Ambrosiana Library (1992-2002), Cassa di Risparmio delle Provincie Lombarde, Lombardy centers from the Middle Ages to the eighteenth century, publishing, banking publishing, Italian banking publishing, the Library of Via Senato, Le Strenne Cariplo 1955 -2000, Milan in old prints, Lombard miniatures, Prof. Carlo Franza, Cariplo gifts