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From Aunt Pina’s recipe book to publishing multimedia content: this has been the journey of Atene del Canavese, a publishing house founded by Giampaolo Verga and his wife Monica in San Giorgio Canavese in 2010. They are the protagonists of CNA Storie of the Month. Atene, because it is a hub of knowledge and talent. Indeed, this small village in the province of Turin has seen celebrities such as Carlo Botta, Carlo Vigna, Teresa Belloc, and Pier Carlo Boggio pass through.
Food and wine and children’s books
It is also to the history of these personalities that the publishing house has dedicated its publications. There are two strands, for about 20 titles each year: food and wine and landscape promotion of the area and educational content aimed at children. Inspiring the latter is Monica, a teacher. “In 2010 we started with the intention of making a gift to Aunt Pina,” Giampaolo explains. The idea was to be able to carry on at least four books a year. Then we saw that over the years we exceeded that goal. We received many requests from local authors who were pleased to publish their works.”
A choice of quality
Giampaolo publishes only content he believes in, and the choice of the book is therefore the result of careful study and selection. Through significant investment, he follows all stages of publication, including the printing process. “The fact that we select only what we believe in, to convey a message to the public, is fundamental to differentiating ourselves. Thanks to technology we are then able to reach distant audiences through multimedia,” she explains.
The illustrator met in a project with schools
Today three people work in Athens of Canavese: in addition to Giampaolo and Monica there is Cristina, a young student he met during a workshop with schools and who has become the illustrator of the children’s publications, with her unmistakable manga-style stroke. Giampaolo knows that opening up to new markets makes different skills necessary, just as the evolution of communication languages will require figures to keep up in the future. “The fact that we have publications in English helps us reach a certain kind of audience,” he explains. “The ambition of our publishing house is to grow, to have employees. Also because over time and with the advent of what are future scenarios different professional figures are needed. That is also why it is important for me to network with others.”
The importance of networking
Giampaolo believes in networking. That is why, from a concrete need, a fruitful meeting with CNA was born. It all began in 2021, when Giampaolo and Monica decided to start a B&B business. “There was the possibility of having facilities, and from there, from a specific need, an opportunity was born.”
From a specific need came an opportunity
Thanks to CNA, Giampaolo was able to participate in fairs and collective events. Important channels for small entities like his. Making a system, in these cases, results in fortunate meetings and comparisons, but also in important economies of scale.
Trade fairs, opportunities to meet
Participating in fairs means bypassing distribution costs, which are very high, especially for microrealities like Giampaolo’s. “Through the fairs we got to know other realities and institutions with which we then produced other books. And thanks to CNA I have the opportunity to exhibit my works even if I cannot be physically present because I am busy with other events,” he explains.
The value of associational life
Enriching oneself through confrontation is the value of association life that is closest to Giampaolo’s heart. “Working alone is losing,” he says convincingly. “You think you can get results, but then you stop there. Nowadays you have to network. Be part of a netowork. Networking allows you to compensate for each other’s nonknowledge with each other’s knowledge. And this enriches everyone.”
