Can a picture tell the story of a town? And a book?

The birth of “Made in Meda, the secrets of the world Design Capital”, our new book!

In this photo there is me, Professor Eugenio Boga and a piece of the history of design.
This photo, taken just a few hours ago, is the symbol of a very special meeting, one which leaves an indelible mark in the heart.

But before I start, I want to make an important point.

I promise not to be too long but please bear with me as it is worth it.

When I was a child, I loved to ride around the streets of Meda on my bicycle.

I looked curiously into all the courtyards where carpenters and upholsterers were always busy working and loading all types of vehicles: cars, lorries, containers and vans.

I was fascinated by all those workshops where I saw craftsmen disappear in a cloud of wood shavings….

Where were all those sofas going?
How was it possible that there were enough homes in the world to put all this furniture in?

My father and my uncle had an upholstery workshop in the house too and, speaking with other boys in the company, I discovered that behind their stories there were many legends about this town and about its traditions in the field of furnishing.

Carrying on the family business in Meda through the years, I began to understand the historical importance of this territory and my curiosity has never ceased.

In fact it made me determined to work hard so that all the know-how in this town could be known and shared throughout the world with as many people as possible.

It was all too important not to be divulged!

And that was when I got the idea to start with a book dedicated to Meda – the most important town in the world for the production of high-quality furniture – so that everyone could know the secrets of Made in Meda.

And this is why, for the last couple of months, together with my colleagues I’ve been meeting with many people who know and love the town of Meda and who have been telling us some amazing stories.

Today has been a special day because we met with Professor Eugenio Boga.

Professor Boga is one of the most authoritative and established professionals in the town but above all he has a deep knowledge of the people who live here and the history of its economy, especially since he was once an administrator here in Meda.

We can feel his passion and his message goes straight to the heart (we can’t wait to see it in print on the pages of the book).

We spent two incredible hours together and in the photo above the headlines you can see the historical workshop which belonged to his father, winner of a gold medal for wood-carving.

And that was when I got the idea to start with a book dedicated to Meda – the most important town in the world for the production of high-quality furniture – so that everyone could know the secrets of Made in Meda together with its protagonists.

Over the next few weeks we will continue meeting people and collecting material.
If you too have a story to tell or pictures that you would like to show, please contact me by writing to valentina@bertosalotti.it, and I will be happy to include your contribution in our book.

P.S. A special thanks to my friend Marco Boga for having given me this great gift.