25 YEARS OF THE ANTIQUE BOOKS AND PRINTS FAIR
by Nino Cuomo

In 1980, almost silently, the Antique Books and Prints Fair first opened in Sorrento, a unique initiative in Southern Italy, with the  “presumptuous” aim of creating a promotional event for all who love to collect antique books and prints. In that period in Northern Italy, from Reggio Emilia to Asolo, from Mantova to Palmanova these events were already spreading and developing thanks to the participation of countless traders seeking to exploit a fast-growing commercial business. Every year, with three exceptions due to technical problems (the unavailability of a suitable venue), interested traders have gathered in Sorrento from all over Italy, attracting a constantly growing number of visitors from Central and Southern Italy . Not to mention foreign exhibitors at some of the editions.  The exhibition began on Tourist office premises, in Via Luigi de Maio, then moved to the large halls of Sorrento Palace Congress Centre and, finally, due to transformation of the hotel conference  facilities, Villa Fiorentino was chosen, which also fulfilled the wish of donors, the Fiorentino-Cuomo husband and wife team, to use their prestigious villa in the heart of the historic centre for cultural events and to increase initiative opportunities for Sorrento tourism. This year Villa Fiorentino has been especially equipped for a series of cultural events organized by Sorrento Town Council as part of “Primavera Sorrentina”, with a sequence of ten initiatives commencing with the Camellia Exhibition, followed by the CertamenTassianum and Seminar to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of Torquato Tasso and ending on 30 June with a horticultural show. To provide over 200 metres of extra exhibition space, a tensile structure has been built on the same level as that inside the Villa. Through this far-sighted local government initiative, the Antique Books and Prints Fair will also be able to locate all its exhibitors on one floor, facilitating the visit. Like every year – for many exhibitors, in fact, their presence in Sorrento has become a tradition – while there is a large number of Neapolitan traders (led by Luigi Regina, ever-present since the first edition in 1980) many come from Rome and Tuscany, Veneto and Trentino, not forgetting traders from the Calabria and Apulia regions. This year too, amongst antique books and prints from the most varied and splendid periods, books relating to Tasso will be on display, offering the chance to obtain – even from past centuries – publications by the Poet and studies regarding his works. It will also be possible to admire 19th century oil paintings and watercolours, especially panoramas of the gulfs of Naples and Salerno. The main interest will be in prints of the Sorrento, Amalfi and Naples areas which, as always, will be present in vast numbers. For the twenty-fifth anniversary edition, exhibitors will also be offering titles, medals and highly prized, remarkably rare coins. Success is guaranteed, and the Jubilee edition of the Sorrento exhibition will also be a high quality cultural event. It is from this initiative that the 2005 publication of “Sorrento e la sua penisola – Le incisioni da Vico Equense a Massa Lubrense” (Sorrento and its peninsula - Etchings from Vico Equense to Massa Lubrense) was last year awarded the aapri-S. Michele Award for landscapes.