I have two favorite pastimes when traveling to a new city. First, and foremost, I love exploring cafes, until I find my personal favorite. Then I return to it, usually on every day of my stay.
Next, I trust my GPS to get me to a library or two. By the time I arrive in a new city, I already have a list of notable libraries, having assembled the list when planning my journey.
Bologna, Biblioteca Salaborsa
Although the current library dates only from 2001, Salaborsa has a compelling history. In modern times, the building has housed a telegraph office, a basketball court, and a puppet theatre. Before these, the site was a central hub for public proclamations of justice, as long ago as 189 BC.
Today, one walks through the main hall, above a transparent floor, and can see ancient excavations from the 7th century BC. After several centuries of decline, very little remained of the Roman era by the Early Middle Ages. Throughout the next several hundred years, the structure was reimagined many times.
I felt privileged to experience the building’s stunning beauty, while consciously thinking about its extraordinary history.
Cremona, Biblioteca Statale
This public library is, unsurprisingly, a very old structure. I greatly appreciated not only, its quiet elegance, but especially its designated, “silent area.” This isn’t an experience I have very often in the U.S. I smiled when I saw the sign and grinned even larger during the thirty minutes I sat in the large space. At least thirty patrons, of various ages, sat at the sturdy rectangular tables, all of which faced front. I heard only one whisper from a young girl, who immediately turned to me with an apologetic smile.
Coincidentally, or not, I noticed that my seat had a view of the travel section. There, I retrieved a Florida travel guide from 1998. Funny.
I learned that the library had only recently begun to add titles in other languages. On an inconspicuous shelf next to an empty desk, I found this international section. About 200 titles sat upright on the shelf, 65 in English. The remainder represented French, German, Spanish, and Tedesco, another variation of German.
