Highlight from 5+1 hosted by Frab's

Frab's Magazines & More is a Milan-based hub for independent and collectible magazines, founded and run by Anna Frabotta.

Walking into Frab’s felt like stepping into Anna’s living room — everything displayed with care, yet with a genuine, lived-in quality. Throughout the evening she would pull out magazines to show around, then tuck them back wherever there was space. It just worked.

This time we started differently: leafing through the shelves, chatting about where everyone was from, what people were studying or working on. Then we moved to the back of the shop, and Anna began telling us what brought her to where she is today. One word: passion.

A journalist by training, Anna saw a gap in Italy’s magazine culture and started Frab’s, not entirely sure where it would go, but with a clear sense of what a magazine could be. That clarity carried her forward.

Seem stupid but people are not able to explain what a magazine is.

Defining Frab’s is not easy, and even Anna admits it. It’s not just an online shop or a physical store — it’s a cultural project in constant evolution, that started as an Instagram account, became a shop, and is now also an annual magazine festival welcoming publishers from around the world.

What makes Anna stand out is the depth of her research. Magazines seem to run in her blood — every scroll, every article, every conversation feeds into an ever-growing body of knowledge she makes freely available to anyone who walks through the door. And if you’re wondering whether the phone number on the website is really hers. Yes, it is.

What else is there to say? You just have to go. It feels a little like stepping into Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, but make it print.