A deal to combine the Milan
and Turin book fairs in a single event has fallen through,
Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said after meeting
representatives from both fairs at his ministry in Rome Tuesday.
"Unfortunately, Italy has missed an opportunity," he said.
"Sadly this solution was not accepted. We were faced with
many rigidities from the two cities. We say that with great
regret in the awareness that we tried everything," Franceschini
said.
On Monday, September 12, Franceschini announced that
organisers had agreed to set up the single book fair between the
two northern cities after the Turin event lost the confidence of
Italian publishers earlier this year.
Speaking after a meeting with Turin and Milan
representatives, a delegation from the Italian publishers'
association (AIE) and Education Minister Stefania Giannini,
Franceschini said:
"There is an agreement to work towards constructing a
single event putting Milan and Turin together on the same dates,
to work towards the differentiation of what Turin will do and
what Milan will do, and to aim for a single governance."
"This work must be very in-depth and that's why we're going
to meet again on Tuesday (today)," he said.
The Turin Book Fair this year marked its 29th year.
The AIE earlier this year said it would abandon Turin in
favour of a new event in Milan.
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