Feminist Pioneer Lia Cigarini, Founder of Milan's Women's Bookstore, Dies at 78

Lia Cigarini, the feminist lawyer who established Milan's historic Libreria delle donne in 1975, passed away on Monday evening. Her death was announced through the bookstore's social media channels. Cigarini was a member of DEMAU (Demistificazione Autoritarismo Patriarcale), one of Italy's earliest autonomous feminist collectives. She authored several books and essays on feminism, including "La politica del desiderio." The bookstore she founded originally opened at via Dogana 2 near the Duomo before relocating to via Calvi near piazza Cinque giornate in 2001, where it remains today. From the 1970s through the 1990s, this space evolved into a crucial meeting point for discussion and theoretical development, particularly around "feminism of difference." Beyond selling books, the Libreria delle donne also published works and periodicals. Cigarini's legacy is tied to creating a lasting feminist institution that continues to operate.