From the Po Valley to the Lagoon. In Fontanellato, in the Parma countryside, Franco Maria Ricci (Parma, 1937 – 2020) brought his vision to life more than twenty years ago now, opening to the public the Labirinto della Masone, a monumental maze made up of 200,000 bamboo plants, designed in collaboration with the architect Pier Carlo Bontempi. A publisher since 1963, the year in which he printed the anastatic edition of Gian Battista Bodoni’s Manuale Tipografico, in 1982 Ricci launched the magazine FMR, published without interruption until 2004, and relaunched in 2021, after his death, with a new editorial direction, which, on the occasion of the last summer solstice, this past 21 June 2026, came of age with its eighteenth issue.

Franco Maria Ricci publishing house arrives in Venice
From 2015 to today, the Franco Maria Ricci publishing house has lived in symbiosis with the Labirinto di Fontanellato, in a relationship of exchange and mutual inspiration. And until now, the Masone has hosted the publishing house’s only official bookshop, which, on the occasion of the 61st Art Biennale, is instead opening its first point of sale outside the Labirinto, in Venice, choosing a historic space in the city: Bottega Cini.

The history of Bottega Cini in Venice
In 2020, Bottega Cini was born as a concept store from the meeting between Marco Vidal and Prince Giovanni Alliata di Montereale, nephew of Vittorio and curator of the Fondazione Archivio Vittorio Cini. The aim: to reinvent the Renaissance workshop, offering not only the sale of high-quality local craft products, but also a space open to cultural exchange and to the documentation of Venice’s social and artistic life. The offering has now been expanded to include a publishing dimension with the arrival of FMR, thanks to the insight of Maria Giovanna Vielli, an expert in art publishing.

A point of sale in the lagoon for FMR books and magazines
Bottega Cini will offer a wide selection of the unmistakable volumes, art and beyond, published by Franco Maria Ricci Editore, from historic series such as Segni dell’uomo, Quadreria and Biblioteca di Babele, to new releases such as Ertè. Lo stile è tutto, the catalogue of the exhibition of the same name currently on at the Labirinto della Masone (until 13 September 2026). But also some highly sought-after titles from the Il Labirinto scritto series, recently back in stock, and the Dédale series, launched in 2025 in collaboration with L’ECOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, which brings together literary works by great authors and precious illustrations, often commissioned specifically for the occasion. As well as every issue of FMR magazine since publication resumed in 2021. Already up and running and open to the public (from 10am to 6pm, except on Tuesdays), the new Venetian bookshop officially opens on 25 June 2026, with an evening toast to celebrate the start of the new adventure. Livia Montagnoli

Franco Maria Ricci Editore is opening a new point of sale in Venice inside Bottega Cini, marking its first opening outside the Labirinto della Masone in Fontanellato, in the province of Parma. The initiative falls within the context of the 61st Venice Art Biennale and includes an inaugural event scheduled for 25 June 2026, from 6.00pm to 8.00pm, at Dorsoduro 862.
Since 2015, the year the Labirinto della Masone opened to the public, the publishing house has maintained an exclusive relationship with that space, which has until now hosted the brand’s only official bookshop. The new Venetian premises therefore represent a significant geographical extension of the publishing network, without interrupting the relationship with the Emilian complex, still the identity-defining centre of its activities.
The choice of Bottega Cini places it in a central area of the lagoon city, in the so-called Miglio dell’Arte in Dorsoduro, a short distance from the Gallerie dell’Accademia and facing Palazzo Cini. The building is linked to the figure of Count and Senator Vittorio Cini, formerly the owner of the residence, today home to the art collection donated by his daughter Yana Cini Alliata di Montereale in 1984. The initiative stems from the insight of Maria Giovanna Vielli, a professional with long experience in art publishing, in collaboration with Giovanni Alliata di Montereale, nephew of Vittorio Cini and curator of the Fondazione Archivio Vittorio Cini. The project involves transforming Bottega Cini into a space dedicated to the publishing house’s output. The new point of sale houses a wide selection of volumes, with an offering that includes not only art publications but also titles linked to different areas of visual and literary culture. The publishing house’s editorial identity remains central, recognisable through elements such as black-and-gold silk bindings, the use of Bodoni typefaces, Fabriano’s pale blue paper, and particular attention to typographic quality and graphic design.
Inside the bookshop, the main historic series are on display, including Segni dell’uomo, Quadreria and Biblioteca di Babele. Alongside these are new releases, such as the volume Ertè. Lo stile è tutto, linked to the exhibition of the same name currently on at the Labirinto della Masone, as well as some reprints from the Il Labirinto scritto series. Also present is the Dédale series, launched in 2025 in collaboration with L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, which pairs literary texts, some rare or little known, with an illustrative apparatus created or selected for the occasion. A specific space is dedicated to FMR magazine, historically defined as “the most beautiful magazine in the world,” founded in 1982 on the initiative of Franco Maria Ricci and relaunched in 2021 with a new editorial direction starting from issue zero. At Bottega Cini, the various issues of the new series are available, including issue 18, due out to coincide with the summer solstice. Bottega Cini is already open to the public and welcomes visitors and enthusiasts from various countries every day. The official opening on 25 June includes an evening gathering with a toast dedicated to publishing, offered by Freccianera Franciacorta, a winery long linked to the history of the publishing house since the 1970s.