While in Italy I figured I needed to pick up some of my favorite Italian comics in Italian! Having…read morejust been totally burned in a different bookshop by mistakenly buying a copy of Corto Maltese in French (omg. Like, in my defense I'm IN Italy, IN an Italian book shop, BUYING an Italian comic-I didn't even think to look at the language!!!! Uggghhh. I'm an idiot, but also I feel like maybe a little not my fault here??? C'mon) I stopped by Borsa del Fumetto to rectify my situation as it was conveniently located right by my hotel. Guys working there were nice and answered my broken Italian with skillful English. They helped me find the Corto Maltese I was looking for and then I got lost in their multiple shelves of Dylan Dog. Their prices were super reasonable and their collection seemed pretty vast for the relatively smaller space-new and used books. Nice little comic shop that reminded me of the good ol days. I'd definitely come back if I'm ever back in Milan.

This tiny bookstore is chock full of books and if you're dazzled by Prada and Versace, you'd miss…read morethis place. That would be a mistake. The Bocca bookstore opened in Turin in 1775. Yes, that 1775. It is likely one of the oldest bookstores anywhere. It was originally a chain of bookstores with others in Paris and Florence and Rome and Turin, but today only the Milan location remains. And in fact is only here in the Galleria Victtorio Emmanuele II because the people petitioned the government for it to remain. Thank you, Milanese, for recognizing how important books and reading are to humanity! This is a small shop and it is quite full. Some of the custom art is very expensive (look through the glass in the floor tiles) but there are many books here that are quite normally priced. And yes, some even in English. How cool is that! [Review 10691 overall, 459 of 2019.]

I stood there and wished that I could read Italian. So many…read morebooks in this tiny bookshop. Only in business for 250 years. Amazing.