The store is located in Pescarenico, a district of Lecco on the left bank of the Adda River, internationally famed as the village of the great novelist Manzoni. “Behind it the Resegone, in front of it the Adda, it is this hamlet of Lecco that inspired Manzoni's Addio ai Monti from his I Promessi Sposi. In the words of its two owners, By opening Le Cose here, we wanted to give new life to this place, secluded and away from the city centre, but nonetheless of great historical and cultural value”.
Amina and Paolo, graphic designers by profession, opened the boutique in 2019 to offer a fusion of art, design, project creation and publishing. It was their wish to give a home to their multiple passions while at the same time offering a selection of high-quality local handicraft objects and souvenirs. The desire has been to build an increasingly close dialogue with the place that hosts them, the local community and, of course, with the growing international tourism.
With this in mind, there are many niche products from Italian and international craftsmen and a special focus on the world of paper and publishing. Featuring are notebooks, exercise books, calendars, prints and books, both from renowned publishing houses such as Corraini Lazy Dog and Taschen, and also from small independent publishers such as Pulcino Elefante and Officina Typo, which can publish small print runs. In the world of design and giftware, at Amina e Paolo's you will find iconic products from the great masters of Italian design like Zanotta, Flos, and Danese Milano, alongside objects designed by young independent designers. One of the many of these is Libri Finti Clandestini, an experimental Milanese collective that creates exercise books and notebooks using recycled paper. The brands offered by Le Cose are the result of in-depth study by the two owners who, with their decades of experience, have managed to create a remarkable network and knowledge in the field of contemporary creativity.
There are in the shop also design objects and souvenirs such as Tuttotondo, a line of home containers in eco-cardboard, board games and ceramics inspired by the peculiarities and legends of Lake Como, and fine art graphics, postcards, t-shirts and customised tote bags. Le Cose encapsulates in one place the two souls of its two owners: design and study, production and sales. “Le Cose is not a studio but a place for everyone, offering a wide variety of affordable products. We want it to be a shared place, with an aptitude for events. Every time we finish a new project we like to celebrate it with a showing and share it with the community”.
"Rediscovering the pleasure of buying a pencil, which we could perhaps go back to calling a lapis, simply because it is beautiful is no bad thing in this world of ours that is driven by the same brands all over the world. Beautiful things are still there to be found, and in Pescarenico someone has thought to make us rediscover them”.
Gianfranco Colombo La Provincia