La Conchiglia Bookshops

The first La Conchiglia bookshop opened in 1982, in the center of Capri. In no time at all, the small shop became a favorite meeting place for intellectuals and artists residing on the island as well as an intimate venue for occasional photographic and painting exhibitions. In the same period, La Conchiglia began hosting a series of book presentations and meetings with the authors; a quickly established tradition which has been renewed each year since. Famous meetings include those with: Fernanda Pivano, Laura Lilli, Aldo Busi, Giampoalo Rugarli, Raffaele La Capria, Luciano De Crescenzo, Carmen Covito, Fabrizia Ramondino, and Isabel Allende.

In 1989 the Edizioni La Conchiglia publishing company was founded. In its choice of publications, the "Laboratory of ideas and culture in Capri" is not simply a romantic endeavor to resuscitate the island's legendary past, but rather an attempt to engage and inspire both today's readers and writers. Capri is, after all, a literary legend, born from centuries of descriptions of the island, from the many novels set here, and from the fascinating stories recounted both on and off its shores; a self-perpetuating legend and the essence of Capri.

At present, the Edizioni La Conchiglia has more than 80 titles on sale, from a catalogue featuring both authors of the past such as Norman Douglas, Compton Mackenzie, Edwin Cerio, Axel Munthe, Rainer Maria Rilke and Sommerset Maugham, and contemporary writers such as Raffaele La Capria, Vittorio Strada, Carlo Knight, Lea Vergine, Sergio Lambiase and Roberto Ciun.

In 1996, La Conchiglia opened another store - this time in Capri's elegant Via Camerelle. La Conchiglia Libri & Arte stocks an impressive selection of period prints, gouaches, and 19th century paintings as well as providing space for touring graphic and photographic exhibitions. La Conchiglia Bookshops' promotion of readings and other cultural events, is the result of the company's deep conviction that Capri has potential as a "place of cultural exchange and tolerance", from which to look beyond the boundaries of our worlds and cultures.