The Tipoteca Italiana Fondazione is located in the foothills of the Dolomite mountains in Cornuda, Italy, about an hour north of Venice. And what a picturesque location! I had heard that Tipoteca was to Italy what Hamilton was to the United States: that is, an amazing repository of printing and typographic history. In fact, Tipoteca is a living breathing Museum—almost every day they have visits from local grade school classes and the kind folks of Tipoteca inform the young students about printing history, about wood type, typography, and at the end of the session the students get to set their name in metal type and watch it being printed before their very eyes. This never fails to elicit some “ooohhhsss” and “ahhhsss” as the kids sparkle when they see their name newly printed in bright red ink.

Each morning of the few days that I worked at Tipoteca were filled with the background chatter of these young Italian school kids; they were so cute! My visit to Tipoteca was so sweet, yet so short. But, it further enhanced and added to my experiences and knowledge, and I met some lovely people and made connections that I hope will last for quite some time.