This unique alphabet was produced as a wood type by Xilografia Meneghello e Belluzzo in Legnago, Verona, around 1934. No other Italian or European manufacturers appear to have produced similar letterforms.

Courtesy Luca Lattuga Archive

‘The AM Fiume digital revival is extremely literal,’ explains designer Michele Patanè, ‘with minor variations from the original shapes, preserving the major idiosyncrasies of the design. For example, the height of the letters has been kept exactly as in the original, with the terminals creating a jagged alignment at the top and bottom. The proportions have been slightly adjusted to avoid excessive compression, as seen in letters A and S. The thickness of the grooves in relation to the black parts of the letters has been refined to optimise performance in the digital environment.’ 

Furthermore, some characters have been modified, such as the ampersand, which had an unconventional shape that would be difficult to recognise today. The comma has also been revised, to give it a sharper, tubular shape that feels more harmonious with the rest of the set. 

Courtesy Tipoteca Italiana Fondazione

Two stylistic sets have been added as OpenType features. One includes a set of taller parentheses, brackets and braces, to improve usability and distinguishability. The other one contains the original shapes of the comma and of the ampersand, kept for historical reference.