Antica Galleria, the new concept store of the Bonfirraro family in the historic center of Catania

In the heart of Catania, in via Spadaro Grassi 17, among the lava stones that breathe history and the brisk pace of tourists, yet another shutter of a bookshop that seemed destined for permanent closure is ready to reopen. Is called Ancient Gallery the project that brings life back to one of the most beloved cultural centers in the historic center of the city of Sant’Agata, thanks to the Bonfirraro family a publisher who has been attentive to the beats of Sicilian culture for decades.

The inauguration of the former Antica Libreria, set for Sunday 14 December at 5.30pmpromises to be more than a ribbon cutting: a rekindling ritual. You enter and immediately smell a familiar smell, the unmistakable blend of old paper, vinyl and processed woods. A new concept, yet already full of memories, designed by architect Luca Di Giovanni as an elegant meeting between past and contemporary. The furnishings by Domo Design and the visual identity signed by the Selvatico studio speak the same language: that of beauty that is in no hurry and that does not forget the past.

The idea – explains those who strongly wanted this rebirth – is not to create a simple bookcase, but a space that vibrates. A place where a reader can find himself among tomes that have spanned the centuries, author prints and vinyl covers. And where music is not the background, but a companion in exploration. “A place that will fully represent the culture of our land – underlines Alberto Bonfirraro, marketing director of the family publishing house and creator of the initiative – in which the works of Vincenzo Bellini and the novels of Verga, Capuana and De Roberto, will coexist with the songs of Franco Battiato and the notes of Mario Biondi, Carmen Consoli and Gerardina Trovato”.

And Catania seems the perfect place for such alchemy: baroque, stratified, always poised between impetuous modernity and deep roots. A city that in recent months has rediscovered a new cultural ambition, culminating in the candidacy for Italian capital of culture.

Salvo Bonfirraro – founder and director of the publishing house – speaks of a “living, dynamic space, where everything revolves around culture: pure, free, without frills”, and walking among the shelves you immediately understand why: it is a place made to host meetings, conversations, readings. A piccolo theater of curiosity. There is no claim to amaze with special effects, but the – more daring – aim of remembering that culture can still be a simple, shared, daily gesture, also capable of reconnecting and strengthening the bond with one’s city.

On Sunday afternoon, when that shutter officially reopens, whoever enters the new Antica Galleria will find more than a renovated bookshop: they will find an invitation. An invitation to stop, listen, browse, get lost and find yourself among the stories that have built and continue to tell the identity of Catania. And in a fast-paced era, the very idea of ​​stopping to touch a book or sliding the needle of a record player over a vinyl groove is already a revolutionary act.

And perhaps this is precisely the meaning of the new Antica Galleria: not just reopening a place, but reopening a habit. That of choosing culture as a traveling companion.