Pirelli and winter: an ever-evolving story of products and sport. And today marks a new milestone in its partnership with the XXV Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, as an “Olympic and Paralympic Partner”. This article, part of our in-depth “Pirelli – Winter – Sport” feature, focuses on a shared experience and passion for challenges on snow and ice. A journey that now sees Pirelli equipping the entire Olympic fleet with tyres from its winter and all-season ranges.

 In the Pirelli Foundation articles Winter, a Season to Enjoy, Three Winter Tales, and Winter, Passion and Sport, we explored how winter has long been fertile ground for Pirelli. A season that has fostered product innovation and pioneering communication campaigns, while building up a system of values linked to this “new” time of year. Winter has become something to be lived more freely: travelling safely, having fun, and enjoying winter sports. A world to be shared with company employees outside of working hours, with the founding of the Sport Club Pirelli in 1922. Sports fields and facilities were built directly opposite the Milano Bicocca factory, together with the historic Pro Patria 1883 club, which offered skiing and mountaineering right from the outset. It was also a world to be made known through creative advertising campaigns and the editorial vision of Pirelli’s in-house publications.

A passion for the mountains became part of the popular imagination in a society eager to achieve success and find new places and lifestyles after the Second World War. Improved economic conditions and technological progress made this possible, and Pirelli played an active role. Pirelli magazine was one of the first to devote articles to the growing accessibility of the mountains, made possible by new technologies. These included, in Pirelli magazine no. 6 of 1949, “Le funivie hanno aperto le porte della montagna” (“Cableways Have Opened up the Mountains”) by Nino Nutrizio; in no. 6 of 1951, “Salire comodi per scendere veloci” (“Up in Comfort, Down at Speed”) with Federico Patellani’s text and photos; in no. 2 of 1954, “Scavalcheremo in funivia la catena del Bianco” (“We’ll Cross the Mont Blanc Chain by Cable Car”) by Franco Pellini; and in no. 4 of 1957, “Andiamo sul Bianco con moglie e bambini” (“Let’s Go to Mont Blanc with Wife and Kids”) by Enzo Gibelli. What we see in Pirelli magazine is a genuine debate about the mountains, examining their many facets: the development of tourist destinations in “Le capitali della neve” (“The Snow Capitals”) by Maria Grazia Marchelli in no. 2 of 1959, “La montagna non dorme” (“The Mountain Never Sleeps”) by Roberto Guiducci in no. 1 of 1967, the promotion of local areas in “I rustici Tabià dell’Ampezzano” (“The Rustic Tabià of Ampezzo”) by Giorgio Soave in no. 6, 1952, and, of course, hiking and winter sports, with their champions, facilities and competitions.

It is within this lively debate that we find the Winter Olympics, with their records and thrills, and Cortina d’Ampezzo, which hosted the VII Winter Olympics in 1956. These were the first Games hosted by Italy and the first to be broadcast live on Eurovision. They inspired a rich series of articles, ranging from reporting to reflection: (“Trentacinque bandiere a Cortina”  (“Thirty-five Flags in Cortina”) by Giorgio Fattori (Pirelli magazine no. 6 of 1954); “Le Olimpiadi di Toni Sailer”(“Toni Sailer’s Olympics”) by Rolando Marchi (no. 1, 1956); “Bob a Cortina: quasi un’Olimpiade” (“Bobsleigh in Cortina: almost an Olympics”) by Giorgio Bellani (no. 6, 1959); and “Non ci sono pattinatori” (“There Are No Skaters”) by Guido Otto (no. 2, 1962).

Pirelli’s commitment to sport continued to grow in the following decades, becoming increasingly global. It entered into partnerships in the world of competitive winter sports, from FISI – with a five-year agreement signed in 2017 for the Alpine Ski World Championships organised by the International Ski Federation (FIS) – and the Ice Hockey World Championships with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) to the XXV Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, starting on 6 February 2026.

As an Olympic and Paralympic Partner, Pirelli will equip the entire official Olympic fleet for the XXV Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, scheduled for February and March in Lombardy, Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige. Around 3,000 vehicles supplied by Abarth, Alfa Romeo, FIAT, Fiat Professional, Lancia and Maserati will run exclusively on Pirelli winter and all-season tyres: Cinturato Winter 3, Scorpion Winter 2, P Zero Winter 2 and Cinturato All Season SF3, all winners of the top comparative tests in 2025.

Winter conditions have always challenged Pirelli, from the Inverno, the first winter tyre, with its herringbone tread in 1951, to the Nuovo Inverno in 1959; from the Pirelli BS3 with its separate tread in the same year to the launch of the Pirelli Winter in 1979, which continues today with a wide range for cars, SUVs and vans. From our Historical Archive, the article “La tua macchina sulla neve” (“Your Car on the Snow”) by Giovanni Canestrini in Pirelli magazine no. 1 of 1956, describes the “severest tests” faced by the new Inverno tyres during the 1956 traffic conference in Sestriere. Mastering wet and mountain roads, slopes and snow-covered surfaces, extreme cold and ice – while preserving the beauty of winter travel – is the pride that Pirelli brings to Milan Cortina 2026 today. A pride built on reliability, backed by the strength of history.

A number can mark a milestone. But in Formula 1, it can also become a story: of drivers and engineers, of risks and decisions, of spectators and shared rituals, of research and precision. A Stir of the Soul: Pirelli’s 500 GPs in the F1 World Championship, edited by the Pirelli Foundation and published by Marsilio Arte, celebrates Pirelli’s 500 races in the World Championship through a rich collection of illustrations, many of which come from the Pirelli Historical Archive. It is a story that unfolds like a film, guiding the viewer-reader through decades of racing.

Published in separate English and Italian editions, the book also marks the 75th anniversary of the Formula 1 World Championship. It retraces a story that began at Silverstone on 13 May 1950, when the Championship itself was born, and follows Pirelli’s presence across three major periods. From the early years of the 1950s to the 1980s, and through to today’s challenges, the evolution of motorsport emerges with an almost cinematic rhythm. Close-ups of key figures alternate with sweeping views of legendary circuits, while action sequences capture the sheer thrill of speed. Alongside the drivers – from Alberto Ascari and Juan Manuel Fangio to Ayrton Senna and Nelson Piquet, and on to Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen – the book also honours the technicians, engineers, and mechanics who have sustained Pirelli’s long-standing role in Formula 1.

The volume is given a truly distinctive touch by a previously unpublished photographic reportage by Darren Heath at the 2025 Grand Prix at Silverstone. In these images, the roar of engines seems almost visible. The spectacle of the race is lifted to an epic scale, forging a link between past, present, and future. Through photographs that capture the energy and contemporary spirit of racing, Heath tells a story from within the history of F1 itself: racing as an open-air laboratory, the importance of tyres for team strategy, the delicate moment of the pit stops, and the crucial role of the people – on and off the track – who make the spectacle of speed possible. A professional world that is essential to the very fabric of competition.

Alongside the illustrations, A Stir of the Soul is enriched by the voices of its protagonists in institutional and narrative contributions: interviews, testimonies, and analyses portray Formula 1 as a workshop where competition and innovation evolve side by side. The book concludes with key metric overviews and infographics dedicated to the numbers involved: kilometres covered, victories secured, records, and statistics that distil decades of competition into their essence.

This is a book that does more than just record events. It puts its subject on stage, restoring to Formula 1 the visual force of a grand narrative, one that opens onto chapters yet to be written

Forget about the liveliness of city centres and new neighbourhoods.  The current economic crisis has another very striking aspect that has a profound impact on both the quality of urban life and safety. Data from Confcommercio reveals that 17,000 shops closed in 2025, 46 a day, exacerbating a trend that was already very evident: over the course of a dozen years, from 2012 to 2025, 156,000 retail outlets closed, accounting for more than a quarter of the total in Italy.

Deserted cities in the evening, less welcoming, and less safe, particularly in the poorer neighbourhoods where older people live. ‘Desertification’, says Carlo Sangalli, president of Confcommercio, expressing concern over a phenomenon that affects his sector but has a profound impact on the quality of life in cities.  The glitz and glamour of luxury and skyscrapers are not enough.  We need to rethink what it means to be human.

It’s true that household incomes are falling, as is spending power. Il Sole24Ore reports that  purchasing power is below 2025 levels (16 March), partly due to price rises (primarily energy), which are linked to the war in Ukraine and tensions in the Gulf states. These price rises are also reflected in intermediate and consumer goods due to rising commodity prices.

In short, life is getting harder,  and the many shop closures are one of the many signs of a decline in quality of life.  This has an effect on safety,  both real and perceived.

Cities are changing radically.  Local shops are becoming increasingly scarce, partly due to high rents.  Online sales are booming; their value reached 62.3 billion in 2025, which is an increase of 187% compared to ten years ago. And large shopping centres also have a profound impact on sales patterns, on the concentration of people, and on the flow of people on the streets.

The only businesses experiencing strong growth are bars, restaurants and food outlets.  Their shop windows are always lit up,  but they are very different from retail shops.

Should we complain about this and try to imagine towns and cities that are more people-friendly and liveable? It’s certainly worth a try.  Years ago, for example, a well-known supermarket chain made the shrewd decision to open small branches in the historic centres of small towns, which proved to be a success.

When rethinking urban planning and the ‘15-minute city’ concept, it is important to consider not only the regulations governing daily life in these areas and essential green spaces and communal areas, such as parks and squares for children to play in safely, but also a serious commercial plan to support small businesses, from grocery shops and small bookshops to florists, local traders and small independent bakeries (not part of retail chains). This will help to prevent the area from becoming dominated by Chinese nail salons and street food outlets.

It is the diversity of neighbourhoods that makes a city varied, beautiful, pleasant and liveable. It is diversity that enriches our daily lives.

Cities are living organisms that  change, grow and evolve in appearance and habits.  They are places of movement and mobility,  and urban spaces  are market spaces.  Cities are markets, but they cannot be left to their own devices.  They must be governed, planned and managed intelligently with a vision for the future. This involves responding to economic imperatives, of course,  but also to human needs.  That is the challenge we face:  designing cities with people in mind,  without the thousands of shop windows going dark.

(Photo Getty Images)

A book that draws on The Rule of St Benedict for guidance on the effective management of production organisations, proving its relevance today

There are rules for businesses and rules for monasteries.  These are rules that, while largely different, are not entirely dissimilar in terms of the organisation of a company and that of a convent.  In fact, these are rules that entrepreneurs and managers can also borrow from those who wear a monk’s habit. Of course, we can draw inspiration from them, taking care not to betray their spirit, but rather seeking to grasp their meaning, which goes beyond the apparent goals and touches on the essence of community life: sharing the same objectives and behaving in a way that shows respect for the individual while working together to reach the finish line.

This is the premise of ‘L’organizzazione perfetta. La Regola di San benedetto una saggezza antica al servizio dell’impresa moderna’ (The perfect organisation. The Rule of St Benedict: ancient wisdom at the service of modern business) by Massimo Folador. The book has a simple and effective structure.  First, there is a historical overview of The Rule. Then, there are three sections (chapters) which identify the key points: the mission, the values, and the conduct to be observed. Finally, there is an in-depth examination of the need to guide oneself, and then others, in order to build an ‘organised community’.

Businesses and monasteries,  two examples of communities, albeit with different aims. Indeed, for 1,500 years, Benedictine monasteries have set an example of how to live and work in an environment where everyone has clear aims and objectives and knows their role and responsibilities, making the most of the community’s strengths. The monastery’s organisational model has stood the test of time and has much to offer the business world, thanks to its effective management of shared values, distributed leadership, and its ability to bring together motivated individuals who are aware of their responsibilities.

Reading Folador’s book will make it clear to anyone how The Rule of St Benedict serves as a powerful reminder of the common roots of organised life and its rules and necessities. At a time when a renewed sense of belonging can breathe new life into corporate life and governance, this is particularly important.

L’organizzazione perfetta. La Regola di San Benedetto una saggezza antica al servizio dell’impresa moderna

Massimo Folador

Guwrini NEXT, 2016

Research study published focusing on the intangibles of production, based on company archives and museums

The culture of production can also be found in the intangible heritage that companies accumulate over time.  This is a particular aspect of analysing the present and past of production organisations,  and it goes hand in hand with another component of the company that demonstrates the same commitment:  the heritage of factories and offices that often stand the test of time.

The research group, consisting of Alberto Bassi, Giulia Ciliberto, Maria Cristina Addis, Jacopo William de Denaro and Marco Scotti, has been thinking about corporate intangible assets for some time.  Their work has now been condensed into ‘Per un approccio ecologico al patrimonio intangibile d’impresa. Gli archivi e i musei aziendali’ (For an ecological approach to the intangible heritage of companies: corporate archives and museums), which, as the title suggests, focuses on the analysis of corporate archives and museums.

In particular, the research aims to formalise a method for mapping the intangible heritage expressed ‘by the entrepreneurial ecosystems of the north-east in their interactions with design culture’. This heritage encompasses various facets of knowledge management within a company, including education and training, scientific research, product development, communication and brand identity, and the quality of spaces and working conditions. These aspects of business activity are particularly complex to measure and evaluate, but are increasingly proving to be crucial to understanding corporate culture, as the researchers note.

The working group’s thesis is that to preserve all this from oblivion or vanishing, a paradigm shift is needed with respect to traditional studies on intangible capital, one that allows us to define, identify and map all the materials produced. The project being developed by the research team aims to investigate corporate cultural heritage through an ‘ecological’ approach, which seeks to organise what is commonly defined as ‘Made in Italy’ in a new way.

Per un approccio ecologico al patrimonio intangibile d’impresa Gli archivi e i musei aziendali

Alberto Bassi, Giulia Ciliberto, Maria Cristina Addis, Jacopo William de Denaro, Marco Scotti, in Design For Survival edited by Lucia Pietroni and Davide Turrini, Giunti, 2026

https://air.iuav.it/handle/11578/364076

A book explaining how we went from computers to AI, helping readers gain a deeper understanding of emerging technologies

When we understand new technologies, we are able to use them more effectively, avoid feeling overwhelmed and maintain control. While challenging, this task and goal are achievable. The task can be accomplished with the help of adequate knowledge tools, such as ‘Parlare agli algoritmi. Intelligenza artificiale: trent’anni di errori, scoperte e rivoluzioni’ (Talking to algorithms: thirty years of mistakes, discoveries and revolutions), a recently published book by Federico Neri.

There are three technological transformations to consider: first, the arrival of the computer; then, the internet; and now, artificial intelligence. This new technology is revolutionising the way we work and interact, and for the first time offers a glimpse into a future where machines may replace humans.

Neri guides readers along the path that has led much of humanity to its current technological state. This is a journey full of mistakes, but also of discoveries and revolutions, which can only be described with clarity and precision by those who have experienced much of it. In fact, the author is one of Italy’s pioneers in the application of AI to language. Having lived through thirty years of technological revolution as a first-hand witness, he is well placed to guide readers on a journey from the first symbolic rules of the nineties to modern Large Language Models, from university laboratories to secret meetings with intelligence services, and from the semantics of military patents to modern generative systems.

Neri’s book is not only an account of the evolution of algorithms; it is also a story of their creation, a book in which biography and technology are intertwined. There is one major difference compared to many other texts on the subject: in Neri’s work, science and technology are interwoven with emotions and humanity, the fears and hopes of the people behind every advance.

At a time when AI arouses both enthusiasm and legitimate fears, the insights of those who have ‘talked to algorithms’ for three decades can provide valuable guidance. They can help us to better understand artificial intelligence in all its aspects, from its technical foundations to its ethical implications. And that’s not all: Federico Neri’s book is also written in clear and often compelling language, which is another of its great strengths.

Parlare agli algoritmi. Intelligenza artificiale: trent’anni di errori, scoperte e rivoluzioni

Federico Neri

Laterza, 2026

‘Voting with your feet’, they call it, when they mean you are choosing a place to live and work that offers better conditions, lower taxes, and a guaranteed better quality of life, not to mention free time. It’s an expression often used by young people when deciding where to study, and by migrant populations when searching for a more favourable job market. But the same is true for high-income earners seeking convenient tax havens or lower taxes on their income. In short, people changing where they live to find better working and living conditions. Of course, this is a highly political choice because it involves assessing local public services, the quality of civil administration, labour market opportunities and the relationship between the tax system and services. It also involves considering the general quality of civic life, hospitality and interpersonal relationships. In the US, many often make this choice, even several times over the course of a lifetime.

Now we discover, thanks to a insightful investigation by Chiara Saraceno in ‘La Stampa’, that this habit is spreading. It is no longer confined to young Italians (what we now commonly call the ‘brain drain’) but, (and why not?) older people are joining them, too.

‘Grandparents with suitcases’, reads the headline in La Stampa on 18 February. The article notes that, over the last twenty years, more than 184 thousand people over the age of 75 have left their provincial towns, especially in the south of the country, to live in large and small cities in northern Italy, without officially changing their place of residence. In 2002, they amounted to just under 100 thousand. So why have their numbers almost doubled in twenty years? Their reasons range from healthcare (on average better in the central and northern regions) and help with childcare to support with housing costs, with real estate values all on the rise. An OECD study documents a real ‘youth emergency’: 80% of under-30s live with their parents, and Italy is among the worst off in Europe.  It has the second highest incidence of 20-year-olds who cannot or do not want to live alone,  which is an impressive impoverishment of social capital and expectations for the future.

These support and family assistance practices, which benefit both young children and elderly family members, are building a new picture of Italy. This is an original type of internal migration within the country (and, although not mentioned in the latest Svimez report, there is also a large influx of migrants from abroad, which has had the positive effect of repopulating vast rural areas in the south).

It is worth noting the impact of family reconstitution in northern cities, where there are serious deficiencies in public services for nurseries and elderly care. This places significant demands on local authorities to invest in general social services, which often lack resources due to cuts at the central level.

This migration often goes undetected statistically because ‘grandparents with suitcases’ do not permanently leave their homes in Campobasso, Agrigento or Polignano, where they hope to return in old age after helping to raise their children and grandchildren. However, it also has a significant effect on the evolution of public social structures, as well as on the intersections and blending of traditional practices.

The Svimez Report states  that there is strong territorial polarisation between the north and centre, which act as pull and retention areas for human capital, and the south, which plays a significant role in training the central-northern production system. This has led to further and growing degradation of the south.

In other words, the Report highlights the relatively new phenomenon of ‘early emigration’, whereby many young people from the South no longer see a future in the regions where they were born and have their loved ones. They now move to the centre-north to study at universities, aware that this will make it easier for them to find work and improve their prospects.

And their elderly parents and grandparents will follow.

This is a sign of the reduced attractiveness of the Sistema Paese (the concept that Italy is run and functions as a coherent whole), especially in the Central and Southern regions.  The consequence is a growing  depletion of active resources and even minimal entrepreneurial drive.

In short, beyond the stereotypical portrayal of the country, a profound movement is underway that threatens to alter social conditions and expectations, as well as political and social balance. The cost of this movement is far from insignificant: social and family ties are broken, community balances are altered and even the economic conditions necessary for minimal subsistence are affected. The countryside continues to empty and historic centres are decaying (the recent landslide in the town of Niscemi is just one example).

But anyone who looks in depth at the performance of the Sistema Paese might notice other phenomena of a different nature. For example, in certain areas of the south, young people are staying put, with the new generations interested in tourist and cultural services, as well as in the recovery of quality agriculture linked to high-level tourism. There are also increasing job opportunities for skilled technicians (engineers, computer scientists and mathematicians) in southern Italian cities such as Bari, Naples, Palermo and Catania. These cities are leveraging a new level of university education and ties with corporate headquarters in Milan to provide high-tech services in various international markets, perhaps in connection with the spread of artificial intelligence. While these might be small positive signs, they shouldn’t be overlooked.

It is also worth keeping an eye on the ‘grandparents with suitcases’ and parents who, as soon as they reach retirement age, follow their children to large and medium-sized cities in Central and Northern Italy. A wave of new emigration would radically alter the culture, habits and services in large areas of Italy. This is something that should not be overlooked, especially given the numbers: 185,000 people have moved in the last ten years, which is double the number who moved ten years ago, and this number is constantly growing.

A comprehensive collection of research and studies on industrial heritage is published

Signs of ingenuity and hard work.  Evidence of the desire to do business, of the passing of generations of workers.  Signs of dreams of progress, often realised.  A culture of production and entrepreneurship that materialises in factories and warehouses, offices, and archives.  All of this forms part of the Italian, European and global industrial heritage that we have been trying to promote and pass on for some time now. The substantial collection of research presented at the third edition of the ‘Stati generali del patrimonio industriale’ (General assembly on industrial heritage), which took place in early February 2026 in Bari, Matera, and Lecce, represents a valuable set of examples to learn about and analyses on the subject to explore in greater depth.

The 2026 ‘Stati generali del patrimonio industriale’ continues the process begun in 2018 and aims to ‘provide a comprehensive overview of the technical, economic, cultural, and social heritage linked to production and work throughout Italy.’  The result is a type of ‘catalogue’ of industrial heritage, comprising tangible and intangible evidence of working culture. This addresses the need for knowledge and re-evaluation, not only in academic research, but also within communities and the manufacturing sector.

The collection of surveys reflects the agenda of the three-day study promoted by the Associazione Italiana per il Patrimonio Archeologico Industriale (Italian association for industrial archaeological heritage) (AIPAI) together with a large number of institutions. We begin with a series of studies on machinery and patents, then move on to the relationship between cities and industrial landscapes, touching on the connections between the various social production infrastructures in the area, before arriving at studies that have examined the design of plants and factories in greater depth. Subsequently, the research focuses on the relationship between history, culture, industrial memory, and corporate archives and museums. It then explores the possibilities offered by new technologies and artificial intelligence for the restoration and conservation of existing heritage, the urban and environmental regeneration of factories, and the understanding of this heritage through specialised tourism, imagery and cinematography.

This collection of surveys promoted by AIPAI should not only be preserved, but also carefully read and utilised.

3° Stati generali del patrimonio industriale

Various Authors, February 5-8, 2026, Bari, Matera, Lecce, Gangemi 2026.

When a bookshop closes, especially an old bookshop, there is a wound in the civic body of a city. One less place where you can become familiar with a book. One less place to strike up a surprising conversation about a great book (‘Fontamara,’ for example, or ‘Invisible Cities,’ or, why not, ‘La vita indocile’) or a well-designed cover. One less place to form friendships or even engage in a light literary courtship (perhaps both asking each other, with a slightly bewildered Bruce Chatwin-esque air, ‘What am I doing here?’). And those shelves where you could find a surprising, exciting or simply curious page to keep you company for days or even weeks will no longer exist.

Books contain the words of those made of flesh and blood. They reveal passions, nourish pain and evoke the sweetest melancholy. They stir up memories you could happily do without and console you about times gone by.  Ultimately, words are like a warm feeling or a tender hope expressed in a song by Ornella Vanoni:  like love, they last forever.

These are the thoughts racing through my mind as I read in Milanese newspapers that the Hoepli bookshop is likely to close. It was founded as a publishing house in December 1870 by a cultured Swiss family. A few years later, in March 1876, the Corriere della Sera was founded. At that time, Milan was a city of great excitement,  with the first large industries (starting with Pirelli), banks (most notably the Banca Commerciale Italiana, which had German backing) and publishing houses springing up, as well as studios representing the main artistic movements. Milan was ‘the city that rises,’ as proclaimed by the title of one of Umberto Boccioni’s most beautiful paintings.

Cities grow and change; they are living organisms. Neighbourhoods expand and areas become marginalised.  People come and go.  Yet amidst so many transformations, some things remain and acquire great symbolic power and identity-building value. The Hoepli bookshop was one of them.

It has impressive stands for its new releases (including international ones), technical books on engineering and architecture, and excellent sections on history and current affairs.  It has an impressive art and photography collection and a well-stocked Milan department offering a  rare assortment of 500,000 titles.  Not to mention the knowledgeable and friendly staff. Above all this, the gentle and cultured shadow of the late Ulrico Hoeplis looms large: an elegant and severe gentleman.

The Hoepli is one of my favourite points of reference, alongside the Feltrinelli in Piazza Piemonte and a small independent bookshop in Corso Garibaldi. It’s very rare that I walk down the street of the same name without being drawn in by the shop windows and coming out with a new book under my arm.

Now, Milan is full of bookstores. There are large chains and independent bookshops that attract readers with their particular specialisms, as well as cultural initiatives. Festivals like BookCity in November offer thousands of packed events, including book presentations, meetings with writers, public readings and debates, led by Piergaetano Marchetti.

Yet, we know now that if Hoepli closes, it will leave a deep void, a wound, a scar.

It’s true that bookshops are businesses and commercial establishments tied to the game of supply and demand.  The owners, especially if they belong to different family branches, may not share the same vision:  to stay afloat, perhaps barely managing to balance the budget, or even losing money, in order to honour a history, tradition or cultural service, or to enhance a major real estate asset such as the Hoepli building in the heart of Milan. There is no moral judgement here; business is business. Even if the appeal to ‘save the Hoepli in Milan and the civilisation of the bookshop’ is sensible and well-founded (Aldo Cazzullo, Corriere della Sera, 21 February),the problem does not end there. If anything, while safeguarding all employee rights, it is necessary to ensure that, despite the common regret of bibliophiles and avid readers alike at the closure of every Hoepli or other good bookshop, others open. In fact, the municipality should implement a rent relief policy for small businesses and encourage the creation and development of neighbourhood, school, condominium, prison and corporate bookshops (many companies already have them for their employees, including Pirelli, Bracco and Assolombarda, and Museimpresa has listed around forty of them in Italy).

So, alongside the threat of bad news, it’s worth reading the Milanese newspapers (Corriere della Sera on 7 February and Il Giorno on 25 February) to note that a ‘free donation’ library called Baol has opened at number 47 of Viale Molise. There, you can read, borrow books, listen to fellow writers talk about them, and organise a community around the pleasure of reading. This small initiative is supported by volunteers and book-loving residents in the 35-square-metre space left free by condominium activities. So there are still interesting and stimulating initiatives. Will a hundred flowers bloom?

Milan is the city that gave voice to Elio Vittorini‘s talent through writing, politics and passion (La Repubblica, 20 January). Thanks to that voice, it has also seen the growth of a modern publishing culture whose benefits we still enjoy today. Despite everything, Milan is still a metropolis of well-written words and books worth reading, offering a ‘Milanese education’, an excellent title for Alberto Rollo’s beautiful book.

The aim, chosen by the City Council’s Department of Culture led by Tommaso Sacchi, is to ensure that none of the many book-related initiatives are wasted. If anything, they should be encouraged. This will be discussed next spring with the aim of making the municipal library service, which has over 4 million titles available to the city, increasingly efficient and well-connected.

The Hoepli will certainly be missed, just as we miss all the places that have closed over time to make way for more profitable commercial activities, such as selling socks and underwear, opening 24-hour restaurants and nail bars. And it’s getting worse all the time.

One solution would be to find and encourage entrepreneurs to open reading and training centres for children, listening centres, and spaces where they can quietly read or listen to the recommendations of reading groups and booksellers, which are popular with younger audiences. Who knows?

As a boy, I imagined opening a ‘librattoria’, a trattoria-bookshop frequented by students and enthusiasts. Then nothing came of it. Today, you could read about Inspector Montalbano while tucking into a generous portion of fried mullet, an excellent potato stew just like Vittorini liked it, and a tray of Adelina’s arancini…

(photo: Getty Images)

Three economists explain how and why, despite starting from the same point, Europe and China have reached different outcomes

There are different paths to achieving well-being, which are a matter of rules and social ties, as well as production conditions.  It is also a matter of culture in the fullest sense of the word, encompassing the  culture of production, as well as all-round material and immaterial culture. It is precisely the social and economic conditions and developments that have led to the current situation that are examined in the recently published book ‘Due strade verso la prosperità. Mille anni di cultura e istituzioni in Europa e in Cina’ (Two roads to prosperity. A thousand years of culture and institutions in Europe and China), written by three prominent economists, Joel Mokyr, Guido Tabellini and Avner Greif.

The book conducts a parallel investigation into the two paths that have led to the current economic and social conditions in Europe and China. These findings form the basis of the discussion:  in the eleventh century, when Europe was still a backwater and poor, China was a rich and sophisticated civilisation.  And yet, it was Europe that became the cradle of democracy and the Industrial Revolution, leading the Great Enrichment, while China remained stagnant until the end of the 20th century, remaining under the governance of autocracies.

Mokyr, Tabellini and Greif’s literary work therefore traces the emergence of two distinct social organisations in pre-modern China and Europe: the clan and the corporation. It demonstrates their pivotal role in the significant economic and political disparities between these two civilisations. In both societies during the Early Middle Ages, non-state organisations provided public goods such as risk-sharing, religious worship, education and conflict resolution. However, the organisations performing these functions were very different in the two parts of the world. In China, cooperation was based on kinship ties within clans, whereas in Europe, weaker kinship ties led to the formation of corporations such as guilds, universities, and autonomous cities. Although these organisations performed similar functions, they were based on very different principles, with consequences that are still felt today.

This book thus answers one of the fundamental questions of economic and political history, showing that social and cultural relations are as fundamental as material ones, both in the past and today. In other words, as demonstrated by Mokyr, Tabellini and Greif, kinship ties in Chinese society facilitated the consolidation of autocracy, but hindered innovation and economic development. In contrast, corporations influenced the development of state institutions in Europe, paving the way for the Industrial Revolution. In addition, the authors also provide a valuable tool for understanding the importance and significance of human relationships,  which is relevant even in the digital age.

Due strade verso la prosperità. Mille anni di cultura e istituzioni in Europa e in Cina

Joel Mokyr, Guido Tabellini, Avner Greif

Bocconi University Press, 2026