On the occasion of the “Laboratorio di Creatività Contemporanea” open call, promoted by the “Direzione Generale Creatività Contemporanea del Ministero della Cultura” and won by Edicola 518 with the project “L’Edicola che Vorrei”, Giuseppe Arezzi was invited to rethink, a decade after its opening, the historic kiosk for independent books and magazines located along the staircase of Sant’Ercolano in Perugia. The new Edicola 518 reopens on June 1st, 2026, as an “Urban oasis for cultural exhibitionism.”
With this site-specific intervention, Giuseppe Arezzi continues his research into minimum space and multifunctional furniture, exploring the theme of public space as a cultural hub.
The project was realized also with the support of Seed Festival and Umbra Acque.
The new project for Edicola 518 redefines the kiosk for independent magazines and books along the historic staircase of Sant’Ercolano in Perugia, transforming it into an “Urban oasis for cultural exhibitionism” and a device for social activation.
Characterized by its red hue, the intervention marks a sharp chromatic break with the past while preserving the original shell. The interior of the kiosk houses a multifunctional, stepped furniture piece crafted from lacquered oak: a micro-architectural volume designed to welcome gathering and reading, while seamlessly integrating the kiosk’s technical compartments. At its center, a stainless-steel fountain introduces a public function dedicated to providing free drinking water, while the updated window frames double as a display system for a freely accessible selection of independent publications.
Observing the location of the Sant’Ercolano staircase, I wanted to preserve the daily ritual that historically belongs to the newsstand», explains the designer Giuseppe Arezzi. «While people once stopped to purchase information, today they pause to process it through rest and reading. The heart of the project is the fountain: water is a primary good, much like quality information. Placing it in this context means restoring social value and offering a tangible service to the community and passersby. I interpreted the kiosk not merely as micro-architecture, but as a versatile, spatial piece of furniture, where every technical element is conceived to foster interaction and the free enjoyment of public space.
The project upends the traditional typology of the newspaper kiosk, where the partition counter historically imposed a rigid barrier between the vendor and the public, canceling out any spatial dialogue. In this intervention, the archetype is completely overturned in favor of absolute permeability: an outdoor platform extends the floor area and integrates spontaneous seating, configuring a fluid device designed to remain accessible to the public even during closing hours at night.
Completing the project is “Ambo,” a new stool-bookstand, designed exclusively for the collaboration between Edicola 518 and Seed Festival, with a height of 20 cm. Developed to compensate for the step’s elevation change, the module shifts between a seat and a display tool for books and magazines, acting as an extension of the project that ventures out into the surrounding public space.
Designed by Giuseppe Arezzi for the opening of the new Edicola 518, Ambo is a custom stool-bookstand born from the collaboration with Seed Festival. Its name evokes its dual function: a 20-cm-high element crafted from red-lacquered oak, created to compensate for the step’s elevation change. Normally used as spontaneous seating, a 180-degree rotation turns the object into a bookstand, while placing it vertically transforms it into a display stand for books and magazines. This module represents a new signature piece for Edicola 518, a device conceived by the designer to transcend the physical boundaries of the kiosk and venture into public space, activating the urban events of the Seed festival.
