Arianna Calò — A book is a perfect combination of content and form

Arianna Calo runs a boutique of rare books in Milan. Her element is books that are treasures.

OPENNESS

A few minutes after our meeting, Arianna was ready to go into a deep, open conversation. I liked her courage and curiosity. It was another sign for me that she is living her mastery.

OUR CONVERSATION

NATURE

As a kid, I literally swallowed books. It was natural for me. This was not because at school they wanted me to read books.

PATHBREAKER

Arianna’s journey is interesting because she is from environment with zero books, even her parents did not read books. So she broke all stereotypes, entering an industry that is very conservative with strong Italian traditions and dynasties of serious collectors that run the business of rare books.

BEGINNING

At the age of 18, Arianna meets a random person who opened the world of art books to her. This was the beginning of everything. And, that person “just lived nearby”. So magic can be just right next to you.

FEELINGS

Arianna describes her feelings about the world of books: “I was fascinated and intrigued.” At the first exhibition of books, she “felt the heat and was hypnotized”.

SPARKLE

At some point, Arianna changed her whole life, deciding to move from a small town in southern Italy to Milan, just to follow the “spark” she felt.

TRUE MEANING

A favorite teacher at school taught her: “Go beyond the context and try to achieve the true meaning that the author wanted to convey in the book.”

OUR DISCOVERY

At the interview, we had a discovery. The very first book in Arianna’s life, presented to her by her grandfather, turned out to be not about the content as Arianna thought. It was about the form as she remembers all the sensations and the impression that book had on her. So at the age of 5, Arianna already was into the unusual books.