Zanichelli brings interactive vocabulary installation to Italian piazzas to save 3,126 endangered words

Italian publisher Zanichelli has launched #paroledasalvare, a nationwide tour featuring an oversized interactive vocabulary installation to raise awareness about 3,126 Italian words at risk of extinction. The initiative began in Milan's Largo La Foppa (until September 28, 2019) and will travel to Turin (September 29–October 5), Bologna (October 6–11), Florence (October 12–19), Bari (October 20–26), and Palermo (October 28–November 2). At each stop, an #AreaZ zone offers touchscreen monitors displaying five endangered words at a time; participants can adopt a word by posting it on social media or taking a postcard. The publisher also appointed ambassadors to champion linguistic richness. During Milan Fashion Week, fashion brand MSGM released a capsule collection MSGMxZanichelli featuring words like Impavido, Impetuoso, Illogico, Vivido, and Radioso. Designer Massimo Giorgetti compared the collaboration to opening the 'archives of Italian.' Zanichelli, founded in 1859 by a Modenese bookseller, marks endangered words in its 2020 edition with a flower symbol.