Clint Harvey on Legacy of Letters

Clint Harvey (Legacy of Letters 2012 and Legacy of Letters 2015)
Legacy of Letters literally framed my career path, traveling northern Italy with Paul Shaw and Alta Price in both 2012 and 2015 allowed me to gain an understanding of type, lettering and history that I had missed in my 30 years of design. Workshops with Alan Kitching and Luca Barcellona; meeting such wonderful people as Sando Berra and the team at the Tipoteca; and being guided on an introduction …
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Alexander (Sasha) Trubin on Legacy of Letters

Alexander Trubin (Legacy of Letters 2012 and Legacy of Letters 2015):
If you are a type geek it’s hard to think of a better way to spend your vacation. Two travels with Legacy of Letters always stay in my memory as those very rare moments of pure joy.
Sasha Trubin (right) consulting with technician Daniele Facchin during the Alan Kitching letterpress workshop as part of Legacy of Letters 2015. Photograph by Paul Shaw.

Legacy of Letters 2023 will take place from June 29 …
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Ferdinand Ulrich on Legacy of Letters

Ferdinand Ulrich (Legacy of Letters 2017 letterpress workshop instructor):
Through Legacy of Letters I was introduced to Tipoteca and its splendid group of aficionados who guard one of the greatest typographic treasures in Europe: a precious collection of rare type specimens, hundreds (if not thousands) of wood and metal alphabets, and an assembly of printing machines that is unparalleled. Since co-instructing the Legacy of Letters letterpress workshop in 2017, I have visited Tipoteca three more times. I have not come …
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Erik Spiekermann on Legacy of Letters

Erik Spiekermann (Legacy of Letters 2017 letterpress workshop leader):
Roman, Italic, Antiqua; Pizza, Pasta, Vino.
Seems like some of the best things in a designer’s life come from Italy. Add to those the romantic towns, the world’s best museum of type & typography (Tipoteca Italiana), and a knowledgeable, Italian-speaking guide (Paul Shaw), and you have the perfect trip. Legacy of Letters is educational, entertaining, enlightening, and, above all, fun. I know, I’ve been there.
Erik Spiekermann adjusting type during the Legacy of …
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Legacy of Letters 2023— Il Buon Tempo

The new home of Il Buon Tempo in Casteggio. Lucio Passerini (center) is chatting with James Clough (left) and Peter Kruty (right). Photograph by Paul Shaw (2022).
On Day 5 Legacy of Letters 2023 will visit Il Buon Tempo, the letterpress studio of Lucio Passerini, in its new home in Casteggio, a small town in the Oltrèpo region of Lombardia.
Legacy of Letters has had a long history with Lucio Passerini and Il Buon Tempo. Alta Price and I were introduced …
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Legacy of Letters 2023—Archivio Tipografico in Torino (Part 2)

Interior of Archivio Tipografico with a sign from an old printshop on the wall. (Tipografia is Italian for printing). Photograph by Paul Shaw (2017).
This is a continuation of an interview with Gabriele Fumero of Archivio Tipografico, a letterpress studio in Torino. The first part can be found at Legacy of Letters 2023—Archivio Tipografico in Torino (Part 1).

Paul: How did you acquire the various items in your studio: the presses, type, tools, etc.?
Gabriele: Emanuele collected them all personally by visiting …
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Lucille Tenazas on Legacy of Letters

Lucille Tenazas (Legacy of Letters 2019):
My participation in the Legacy of Letters tour and workshop in 2019 rekindled my interest in letterpress printing and, by extension, to the beauty and importance of what curator and writer Glenn Adamson calls material intelligence. Tipoteca Fondazione Italiana, a museum, library and archive of type and typography in Cornuda is the ideal setting for these discoveries. It’s a place worthy of an annual pilgrimage.
Lucille Tenazas setting type during the letterpress workshop at the …
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Legacy of Letters 2023—Archivio Tipografico in Torino (Part 1)

A pixelated view of Archivio Tipografico by eBoy. Their design was converted to typographic material and printed letterpress in two colors by members of Archivio Tipografico
On Day 2 of Legacy of Letters 2023 we will be in Torino to visit Archivio Tipografico. We visited the cooperative letterpress studio for the first time as part of Legacy of Letters 2017. Last summer, prior to the beginning of Legacy of Letters 2022, I made a second visit to Archivio Tipografico …
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Alan Kitching on Legacy of Letters

Alan Kitching (Leader of the Legacy of Letters 2015 letterpress workshop):
To journey across Northern Italy from Milan to Venice in the company of Paul Shaw — whose extensive knowledge of lettering and typography is unparalleled — is a privilege and pleasure. To gain access to some of the world’s most prestigious libraries and galleries is indeed a wonderful experience. Then to finish at the Tipoteca is a great climax to an exciting journey.
Alan Kitching examining finished portfolio prints …
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Jeryl Jones on Legacy of Letters

Jeryl Jones (Legacy of Letters 2017):
My first travel abroad was with Legacy of Letters (LL2017)—the experience exceeded my expectations! The detailed itinerary was carefully thought through and well balanced. The trip represented impressive and comfortable travel to different cities in Northern Italy visiting print as well as lettering shops, libraries and walking experiences.
The accommodations were wonderful at all stops and the Villa Bolzonello, on a hill above the village in Cornuda, was picturesque—Prosecco anyone? The trip culminated in a …
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David Wolske on Legacy of Letters

David Wolske (Legacy of Letters 2013):
Legacy of Letters packs an MFA’s worth of typography into two weeks. Not a week goes by when I don’t think about my time at Tipoteca, Paul Shaw’s invigorating and illuminating walking tours, or the rare books and type specimens at the world-class libraries… not to mention the cappuccino and prosecco!
David Wolske and Tony Di Spigna looking at an incunabula book at the Fondazione Cini in Venice during Legacy of Letters 2013. Photograph by …
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Legacy of Letters 2023—Museo Bodoniano

The Pilotta complex in Parma which houses the Museo Bodoniano. Photograph by Lauren Huber 2012.
One of the highlights of Legacy of Letters 2023 will be a morning at the Museo Bodoniano in Parma. I first visited the museum in 1991. It was the first stop on my first trip to Italy. I bypassed Rome, Florence, and Venice and headed straight for Parma. I spent three days at the Museo Bodoniano. Although Angelo Ciavarella was the director at the time, …
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David Shields on Legacy of Letters

David Shields (Legacy of Letters 2012):
It is staggering to think this year is the 10th anniversary of my first Legacy of Letters trip! It was a marvelous way to see Italy, see letterforms in context, eat good food, and hang out with great people. I am surprised (though I suspect I shouldn’t be knowing Paul) by the impact that trip had on my thinking about typography and letterforms, and how much it changed the way I approach teaching typography …
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Judith Mayer on Legacy of Letters

Judith Mayer (Legacy of Letters 2013):
My Legacy of Letters experience was unforgettable—more than just an amazing tour around Italy, expertly led by Paul and Alta. I met many generous artists; visited printshops, libraries, a printing museum, and an inscription museum; viewed Bodoni artifacts, Giotto frescoes, castles, fountains, piazzas, and even a [Carlo] Scarpa cemetery. I experienced more than I can list here. Culminating with a collaborative printing project at the Tipoteca, there were also the unexpected joys of traveling …
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