Library

“Trame libere”, the Corigliano D’Otranto Municipal Library, has been based in the Castello de’ Monti for several years now. A number of rooms on the ground floor and mezzanine level, extending up to the circular space of the Torre di San Michele, have thus become venues for literary culture, cultural exchange, discussion, study and, last but not least, relaxation: because reading is, above all, a pleasure.

Managed by Magma Aps, the project was made possible thanks to “Luoghi Comuni”, an initiative proposed by the Puglia Regional Government with the aim of encouraging the creation of community libraries and returning to the community local spaces that had remained unused or underutilised.

At the same time, ‘Mali Ghetonìa’ – meaning ‘great neighbourhood’ – came into being. This is the name of the network of libraries in Grecìa Salentina, which includes not only the municipal library of Corigliano but also the libraries of Melpignano, Castrignano de’ Greci, Martano, Carpignano Salentino, Sternatia, Soleto, Sogliano C., Cutrofiano and Zollino.

This is a project that invests in culture on a supra-municipal scale and aims to promote the local area.

With this in mind, particularly with a view to new book acquisitions, a bibliographic profile has been devised for each library, taking into account the area’s distinctive characteristics as well as the cultural initiatives underway in each town.

In Corigliano d’Otranto, given the projects launched in previous years, as well as the distinctive presence of epigraphic and philosophical mottos on the doorposts of houses in the historic centre, there is a rich philosophy section, whilst the entire mezzanine floor of the Tower of San Michele houses the section dedicated to children and young people, featuring new furnishings and colourful rugs.

But the deeper purpose is perhaps, above all, to tell a story that has its roots in the past and which, precisely for this reason, is able to guide us through the landscapes of the present and a possible future. All this is conveyed through the voices of the inhabitants of Grecìa Salentina, who, together, are writing a new narrative.