In the print shop of the old mill, where books are handmade

In the digital age, when paper seems gradually to be disappearing, in Monvalle, there is still a small print shop that makes all of its books by hand. Inside the workshop, hidden in the Turro mill, the artisans of “Rotte Contrarie” carry on their work, using traditional printing techniques and tools, just as people used to in the past.

They do the complete job, starting with the printing, and ending with the bookbinding.

The cultural association that manages the Turro mill was formed about a year ago, but the adventure of “Rotte Contrarie” had already started some time before.

Giancarlo Bianchi, the President of the association, was the first person to devote himself to traditional printing. “Until recently,” Bianchi said, “I worked as a printer, but with the advent of the crisis in the sector, I decided to put what I had learned about printing books to good use, and apply a variety of traditional techniques. For each volume, we give a lot of importance to the shape, the images and the decorations. The books we make are usually written by local authors, poets or writing enthusiasts.”

During the exhibition “Libri a km 0” (“Locally sourced books”), “Rotte Contrarie” will be exhibiting their creations in the Council Chamber in Leggiuno, on Friday, 13 March, at 9 p.m. During the evening, there will be a demonstration of printing, using a variety of techniques.

From movable type printing to screen-printing, not to mention chalcography, lithography and xylography. On Friday evening, the artisans of “Rotte Contrarie” will guide the public to discover the techniques that most influenced the history of printing, techniques that are centuries, and in some cases (according to a few experts), even thousands of years old, but that still live on and create genuine small works of art.