«The name Todo Modo comes from Leonardo Sciascia’s 1974 book, which then inspired Elio Petri’s political movie but also the spiritual exercise of Saint Ignatius of Loyola»
Todo Modo – The passion of five partners
Located in the heart of Florence’s Santa Maria Novella district, Todo Modo is an independent, and international bookstore and wine shop. Founded in 2013, by five partners – two booksellers, two publishers and one winemaker – Todo Modo is a reference for all lovers of quality publishing and natural wines.
The store offers a selection of over thirty thousand titles, spanning various genres such as literature, travel, science, philosophy, architecture, and graphic design. «The name Todo Modo comes from Leonardo Sciascia’s 1974 book, which then inspired Elio Petri’s political movie but also the spiritual exercise of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. And it was euphonic», explains Pietro Torrigiani, one of the founders before adding, «Additionally, each letter represents one of the bookstore’s founders, making it a name with multiple meaningful connections».
Todo Modo – A holistic cultural experience
«Twelve years ago, we fell in love with Buenos Aires’s bookstores and decided to create something inspired by that experience in Florence», explains Torrigiani. At the center of the bookshop, a natural wine bar amid hanging plants can be found.
Called UqBar — as an homage to the famous short story Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius by 20th-century Argentinian writer J.L. Borges—, all the furniture has been designed by Italian visual artist Jacopo Benassi. «Paolo Marchionni, one of the founders, is a natural wine producer and expert. Wine has been part of the Todo Modo project since the beginning, as it is something rooted in Italian culture, and it offers people the place and time to connect – much like books», said Torrigiani.
Additionally, Todo Modo offers a spacious reading room that hosts a range of events, including meetings, seminars, performances, lectures, screenings, concerts, and workshops «We were interested in creating a place that would engage people in our cultural project and provide Florence with an opportunity to connect with the international community. Our vision is to offer a holistic cultural experience to our visitors», explains Pietro Torrigiani.
Todo Modo – A curation like no other
Todo Modo, takes pride in curating its own selection of titles, drawing from publishers’ catalogs but also book fair visits, dialogue with readers, writers, and publishers as well as research in various areas such as ecology, literature, feminism, and philosophy. In recent years, the store has also expanded its role as a publishing house, selecting and printing a few titles to share the founders’ intellectual research with the Todo Modo community.
«Books are necessary in this age of information overload, where words, opinions, and stories constantly bombard us», said Torrigiani before adding, «only books can provide the proper space and time to create our own opinions without being influenced by the overwhelming reality of screens». In the founders’ opinions, bookshops are more than stores and serve a public function of freedom while offering the opportunity to discover unexpected books as well as unexpected opinions.
Two other locations – Dilà and Bentō Fatti
On the other side of the river Arno they opened Todo Modo Dilà, another bookshop focusing on children’s books, illustration, graphic novels, and manga. It aims to cater not only to young readers, but also to educators or people interested in the polysemic language of images and graphics. «As a group of people working together, these new projects allow each of us to utilize our individual skills and interests. Dilà was the dream of Maddalena Fossombroni, who has a keen interest in children’s literature and education, in collaboration with graphic designer Carolina Cosi», explains Torrigiani.
The jolly team then also developed Bentō Fatti a Modo, another space dedicated to Japanese cuisine. «At Bento, you can find Japanese books, bento boxes made by our chef, Hiroko Kawamoto and a carefully curated selection of wines, overseen by Paolo Marchionni, assisted by Davide Andretta and Anna Cieno», said Torrigiani. This new endeavor aligns with the tradition of bento meals, symbolizing homemade affection.
Todo Modo – A bright future
Two years ago, the team created Testo, a book fair in collaboration with men’s fashion platform Pitti Immagine and started to collaborate with other international festivals. Looking ahead, Todo Modo plans to continue publishing books, forging new collaborations, and featuring renowned authors. On November 25th, Todo Modo will host a talk with Moving Garden author Gilles Clement in Florence. «This is good news for us, we all considered his book a masterpiece, and recommend it to everyone. It’s a method that can truly change your perspective», exclaimed Pietro Torrigiani.
Todo Modo
Via dei Fossi, 15/R, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy. Todo Modo is an independent bookstore and wine shop in Florence’s Santa Maria Novella district. Founded in 2013 by five partners, it offers over 30,000 titles across various genres. The store provides a holistic cultural experience with a natural wine bar, UqBar, and a spacious reading room for events. Todo Modo curates its own selection of books, engages with readers and publishers, and has expanded into publishing its own titles. They have also opened Todo Modo Dilà, a children’s bookshop, and Bentō Fatti a Modo, a space dedicated to Japanese cuisine.
