How many Apple enthusiasts are there in Italy and around the world? Many—but there is only one Museum capable of welcoming objects collected with such passion and dedication, and preserving them over time: the Apple Museum of Savona.
Through a mutual friend, we learned about a collection of working, meticulously cataloged items assembled by Matteo Vitali in Milan. It was the fruit of years of passion, mainly carried out by his father, Gianenrico, now seeking a new home.
The Museum’s response was immediate: the collection—perfectly organized, cataloged, and fully functional—was partly put on display and partly stored in our archives, where it will continue to be preserved.
Matteo writes: “My father, Gianenrico Vitali, was a man with a great passion for technique and technology. I don’t recall exactly when it began, but from the early 1980s I clearly remember the image of my dad coming home with these strange (at the time) plastic boxes with a keyboard and a dark screen showing green letters and numbers.
Over the years, more computers arrived, starting with the Macintosh Plus and SE/30, which he carried in large bags, followed by the first PowerBooks. Then those serious, gray plastics became colorful and transparent, and with the iMac came iMovie. My dad discovered a new hobby, happily editing vacation videos and even digitizing older ones from analog formats (like the 1972 Olympics, which he attended as a spectator).
His passion for Macs was so strong that the bitten apple followed him to work as well. At home, creativity flourished through video effects and photo albums in iPhoto, while at work, trusty MacOS supported him with FileMaker databases and Excel spreadsheets.
He even managed to convince several friends to switch to Macs, guiding them through the transition from Windows and introducing them to this new digital world.
And, of course, I was not immune to the Apple charm either, sharing with him both technical moments – exploring new software or updates – and lighter moments, like finding the right style for a photo album or the right music for a video.
When he retired, he couldn’t leave behind all those travel companions, so he decided – through friends and competitive bidding on eBay – to acquire more Macs and build a small, personal Apple Museum. He carefully cleaned each computer, installed and updated macOS to ensure they were all operational, and proudly displayed them.
Today, that collection has found its way here, to the All About Apple Museum—a place where I am certain my father’s passion will be deeply appreciated.”
