The Istituto di studi storici postali “Aldo Cecchi” ODV is moving to a larger and more convenient facility, also in Prato. Already in recent weeks, work is in progress to adapt the rooms and equip them with the security measures required by the law and work is in progress on the move.
To cover the costs and involve all those who care about the preservation of postal culture, the “Adopt a shelf” initiative was launched. By donating €100 you can adopt a shelf in the library, which will bear the name of the donor with a special plaque. Of course, the contribution can also be different, for example €1,000 for an entire piece of furniture, €2,000 for a table and chairs, €20,000 for a whole room.
To contribute, you can make a bank transfer to the current account of the ISSP at Intesa Sanpaolo Bank, Prato office, IBAN IT09A0306921531100000004941, BIC/SWIFT BCITITMM, with the reference “A shelf for the Institute”.
The Istituto di studi storici postali “Aldo Cecchi” was founded in 1982.
It offers several activities (carried out exclusively by volunteers) in the postal and communications sector, including the annual “Colloqui di storia postale”, the publication of the “Quaderni di storia postale” and the six-monthly magazine “Archivio per la storia postale – Comunicazioni e società”.
It has four tasks: conservation of the postal-historical heritage; making this heritage available to scholars; organizing cultural events; carrying out scientific research.
The heritage that the Institute makes available to students, scholars, historians and anyone else interested consists of 13,000 volumes, 1,200 titles, 400,000 documents from the ‘Archivio della Direzione superiore della posta militare’ (High office for military mail), 20 linear meters of postal history archive, 16,500 commercial publications, and a collection of postal objects. Official publications of Poste Italiane are also available free of charge on the www.issp.po.it website, including vintage postal bulletins, postal guides and maps, 1,800 well-known philatelic collections, 2,500 photographs, magazines and volumes published by the institute.
