Livia Satriano’s Libri Belli: Rediscovering Vintage Italian Book Design on Instagram

Key facts

• Livia Satriano founded Libri Belli, an Instagram account and website showcasing vintage Italian books.
• The project started from Satriano's hobby of posting books found at flea markets and used bookstores.
• Satriano has a communication background and is passionate about researching past visual and musical culture.
• Libri Belli focuses on Italian books with attractive covers and graphics, as well as obscure titles.
• Satriano believes the cover is fundamental to a book's appeal, especially in the era of industrial publishing.
• She notes that today, covers are often designed to look good on screen, and some bookstores sell 'blind books' wrapped to hide the cover.
• Her selection is primarily Italian because she lives in Milan and wants to highlight Italy's cultural and visual heritage.
• Satriano aims to inspire and motivate others by showcasing Italy's design achievements.
• On September 13, a Libri Belli corner will open at Libreria Verso in Milan.
• Satriano collaborates with contemporary artists and illustrators to reinterpret Libri Belli books.
• Her favorite Italian cover is Bruno Binosi's 1970 Lolita for Oscar Mondadori.
• Her favorite international cover is Edward Gorey's 1960 The War of the Worlds.
• Favorite Italian graphic designer: Albe Steiner; international: Saul Bass.
• Favorite current Italian publisher: Iperborea; historical: Franco Maria Ricci.
• Favorite current international publisher: Riverhead Books; historical: Penguin Books.
• The new Libri Belli website was designed by Pop-eye Studio.
• Satriano hopes to collaborate with publishers to showcase their archives.
• The interview was conducted by Marco Enrico Giacomelli for Artribune.