Toponimia is a cartographic journey into Italian topography. A research project born on Instagram from the minds of Clementina Grandi and Delfino Sisto Legnani. Toponimia has an amazing community that contributes daily to the sharing of incredible findings to explore Italy with irony. Today Toponimia launches their first capsule collection, which features a goodie conceived in collaboration with C41: Bella T-shirt.

“Bella” is the Italian word for “beautiful”, in its feminine adjective form. Beautiful is what pleases the senses or mind aesthetically, what C41 has been advocating for since the very beginning. “Bella” is used in the Milan slang when agreeing on something or even when saying goodbye. “Bella” is a city in Italy too.

Ilaria Sponda: The digital map as a contemporary aesthetic: Toponimia. How did the project come about?

Clementina Grandi: Ever since I was a little girl, playing with my brother Ludovico, we would always search for the most unusual names during long car trips. When we passed through a town called “Bastardo” (“Bastard”) on our way to visit our grandparents in Umbria, we would scream that forbidden word at the top of our lungs, much to the annoyance of our parents. I believe that’s where my passion for Italian place names originated.

IS: Where did the idea take shape?

CG: Years later, it was no longer my parents or my brother in the car, but a tired Delfino who had grown weary of hearing me list all the names of the countries we were passing through. It was summer, and we were driving from Milan to Lecce. At one point, Delfino turned to me and said, “You should do something with this obsession of yours, let it out, open an Instagram account.” And so, Toponimia was born.

IS: What underlying meaning does the project explore?

CG: Town names often reflect the mood of the moment. I enjoy playing with finding the perfect name for the right occasion. That’s how, perhaps on a hot Tuesday in July, with temperatures soaring to 40 degrees, “Stanco di Sopra” (Tired Upstairs”) and “Stanco di Sotto” (“Tired Downstairs) came to be. However, there are also names that are so unique that it’s always the right time to post a “La Borra” (“Puke”). I would say there is always a hint of mischief and a nod to popular culture. Additionally, there’s the Macaronic English translation, which is perhaps my favorite part, as it turns “Ficarazzi” into “Pussyrocket”.

IS: How do you conduct your research?

CG: Initially, in my spare time, I would explore the map and travel across Italy, searching for new place names. Today, Toponimia has an amazing community that contributes daily to the sharing of incredible findings, and we now have a collection of a thousand place names. My community is my greatest source of pride. Knowing that there are so many people like me who find joy in discovering these names while exploring Italy brings me great happiness.

IS: From Instagram to a capsule collection: it must not have been easy to choose among the many possibilities of place names. Which ones did you select?

CG: It was a very difficult decision! Each name holds its own special meaning to me, so narrowing it down was a challenge. I relied on the advice of trusted friends and also took into consideration the number of likes each place’s name received over time. And so, from the extensive list, the winners for this capsule collection are Lover (Tn), Muoio (Cs), La Svolta (Re), and the one we chose together, Bella (Pz).

IS: Such cool ones, I must say! How did you develop this capsule collection?

CG: I had been contemplating giving a physical form to this digital project for a long time. This capsule collection is the result of collaboration with two talented creative minds. Firstly, Giacomo from Giga Design Studio, who turned this idea into a reality. He played a crucial role in believing in the project, creating the graphics, and overseeing the screen printing that we are incredibly proud of. Together, we have many exciting ideas for future capsule collections. The other creative mind and my right-hand man is Delfino, who has been with me since day one, helping to conceive the project. For this capsule collection, he captured beautiful photos that I am thrilled to finally be able to share with you.