IIt’s evening. Finally, the lights swich off in that iconic art nouveau building. I look at it one more time: it’s beautiful. Its renovated design managed to preserve its façade as well as the charm and elegance of an industrial building. It used to be a red-brick factory, now it’s a space full of art and wonder. I’ve been waiting for the curtain to fall on this wonderful place all day long, for the lacquered red panels and all they reflect to dim, for the art installations and the interactive screens to go dark, and for it to be just me. Well, just us.
And here we are, with only one moment left: in a minute, the space will come alive once more, but for a different kind of show. The advertising graphics will light up, the screens will come to life with the Carosello commercials and pictures of renowned directors like Federico Fellini, Paolo Sorrentino, Stefano Sollima, and Matteo Garrone. The Red Passion will come alive exclusively for my eyes in a Dudovich poster, the art of Depero and Ugo Nespolo, in drawings by Munari and original billboards from the Belle Époque.
Welcome to
Galleria
a work of art in itself. This is not just a place to admire over four thousand works of art, it’s the entire history of our country, of Milan, of our aperitivi, and of our cinema. It’s a living museum: the narration of everyone’s dreams, it’s all here. I quickly jump out of my sheet of paper and here I am, the only guardian of this gallery that’s so rich in atmosphere. Let me introduce myself, as I’ll be the one who will take you through this magical journey I make every night, to re-ignite and keep alive the dreams stored within. Who am I?
Quite a famous character, actually.
I am the Spiritello, as people call me today.
A long time ago, I was invented by painter Leonetto Cappiello as a tribute to Bitter Campari and now I am part of everyone’s imagination. An icon of poster advertising. That red jumpsuit… where does it come from? Doesn’t it suit me? It’s got the colour of bitter and its small white spots are inspired by the bubbles of soda. I live surrounded by orange zest and my character is cheerful and sparkling. Who better to guide you through these walls? Awe, joy, enchantment, and much more await. Let’s go! I always begin on the ground floor: yes, I know, I am a creature of habit. First, I stop in front of the first screen you see just after stepping inside: it recreates the word ‘Campari’ with thousands different lettering styles, it’s quite mesmerising.
Then, we are bewitched by
Fellini
our beloved Fellini made his first commercial exclusively for Campari, connected with the memory of his father who would have this famous drink as an aperitivo. On the video walls, we see the frames of the commercial itself: I look at them over and over, and they take me back through time. Among these works—browsing around, reading and exploring—I discovered a story that’s mine as well.
Everything started with Gaspare, Campari’s founding father and the inventor of the famous bitter (a recipe which is still secret), and continued with his son Davide, the innovator, entrepreneur, and art lover. His passion haunts this building, as well as me, the Spiritello. After all, he’s the reason I was brought into the world. But, above all, without him, the first single-dose aperitivo in history wouldn’t ever have been invented: Campari Soda, with its unique crimson colour.
Have you ever noticed that extraordinary bottle? Just think that it’s barely changed since 1932. Without a label, its frosted texture is reminiscent of orange zest and condensation droplets: it’s a bottle of many words that almost speaks to you.
It was designed by futurist artist Fortunato Depero, who started a long artistic collaboration with Davide Campari, which resulted in several works that you can admire here. Look how subtle and ironic the black and white graphics of his cocktails are! They look modern to this day. But it’s not only about him. How fabulous are Bruno Munari’s words and pictures? I still get as emotional as the first time I saw it every time I face his poster created for the opening of the M1 metro line in Milan, the “red one,” with lettering that becomes animated as the train accelerates, thanks to a visual effect. And what about his drawings for “Cantastorie,” the illustrated poems of the Corriere della Sera newspaper, devoted to the glories of bitter and cordial? Then I get to the big digital table and, with just a few touches, I browse through the digital pages to admire these rarities.
But let’s go on, to the upper floor, or else we’ll spend the whole night here.
A Campari red river
welcomes us
it springs from the neck of a giant bottle, set into the back wall, and crosses the space. Look up! Drops of Campari hang from the ceiling, accented by giant oranges and their coiled zest. I think this floor will surprise us. It’s full of talking items. They’re so intriguing and iconic: stamps, 78-rpm discs, huge Campari bottle caps, collections of aperitivo glasses. You don’t really know where to start looking. A design chandelier made with Campari Soda bottles? We’ve got one of those! Actually, there are many hanging from the ceiling. But what about those streetcar handles? Are they real? Can I hold onto them? By slightly pushing them down, you can see a sequence of product names that remind us of the thirties, in the richly-decorated rooms of the bars that dotted this extraordinary city.
Come see the precious silver and crystal shakers, the first bottles that Davide Campari gave to cafés, and take in the mirrors decorated with pictures of historical posters.
We’ve truly gone back in time, but now it’s time to stop because it’s getting late. I get carried away by imagination every single time. A small bottle, a glass, a calendar: each item has the power to attract us like a strong magnet, dragging us into wonder.
It’s now late at night. I’ll close the doors and switch off the lights that I had switched on just for us. For you, actually.
Now, let’s wait for tomorrow and the next visitors.
