The exhibition, organised into nine thematic sections, showcases historical photographs and bilingual textual materials that recount the evolution of the publishing house from its origins in the aftermath of the First World War to the cultural ferment of the “Saletta Rossa”, the iconic Neapolitan salon that hosted generations of writers and artists. Welcoming the guests were Ambassador Inigo Lambertini, publisher Diego Guida, and Carlo Vecce, president of the National Committee for the Centenary.

Ambassador Lambertini emphasised the symbolic significance of opening the celebrations abroad: “As a Neapolitan and an admirer of Guida’s publications, I am particularly pleased that this travelling exhibition is being launched here, at the Embassy of Italy in London.” He recalled the intellectual centrality of the publishing house, which over the decades became a meeting point for figures such as Eugenio Montale, Alberto Moravia, and Pier Paolo Pasolini. “Guida has long been a place where ideas take shape, where Neapolitan culture meets national and international culture,” he added.

A century after Alfredo Guida’s bold decision to invest in publishing—a sector few believed in during the early 1920s—Diego Guida reflected on the challenges faced across different historical periods, from the censorship of the Second World War to the economic uncertainties that repeatedly tested the world of books. “And yet,” he observed, “culture continues to sustain the creation of ideas and to open horizons of hope.” Guida highlighted how the Saletta Rossa has remained, through the decades, an open cultural workshop that has welcomed leading figures from Jack Kerouac to Allen Ginsberg, from Vittorio De Sica to Umberto Eco, and more recently Andrea Camilleri, Toni Servillo, Peppe Barra, and Maurizio De Giovanni. It is from this vibrant environment that initiatives such as book fairs and the cultural and social projects of the Guida Foundation – ETS took shape.

Carlo Vecce, professor at the University of Naples “L’Orientale” and president of the National Committee for the Centenary, stressed the international dimension of Guida’s legacy: “It is deeply meaningful that the first major event of the centenary is being held in London. This setting underscores the European horizons the publishing house has always embraced, as well as the civil and social role it managed to play, even in the most difficult years of contemporary history—for Naples, for southern Italy, and for the entire country.”

A crucial part of the celebrations concerns the Guida Archive, long overlooked but now the focus of a major reorganisation and cataloguing effort. Thanks to the commitment of Diego Guida and the team of scholars coordinated by Vecce—including Laura Cannavacciuolo, Vincenzo Caputo, Mariolina Rascaglia, and researchers Marco Borrelli, Margherita De Blasi, Alberto Scialò and Sara Stifano—the “Fondo Guida” is gradually being brought to light. This documentary collection includes materials from the publishing house between 1929 and 1959 and from the Guida Art Gallery between 1964 and 1968. It represents only a fraction of the extensive archival heritage preserved by the family: correspondence, press clippings, iconographic materials, and book proofs—much of which remains to be ordered and will be the focus of future enhancement projects.

The London inauguration thus stands as the first chapter in a broader journey of memory and rediscovery. It celebrates not only a century of publishing activity but also the cultural contribution the Guida family has offered to Naples, to southern Italy, and to the wider Italian landscape. As the enthusiastic reception of the exhibition suggests, this legacy continues to resonate, inspiring dialogue across countries and across generations.

• Italian