Energetic, an “eternal optimist” as she defines herself: Cristiana Iommi is the new director of the Mai Library and is already at work with a well-defined project plan where the Mai will always be “more open to citizens and available to the people of Bergamo: for me – he explains – living in the library means experiencing all the experience and richness of the past, making use of it for the present and a vision for the future”.
Coming from the Marche region with experience traveling throughout Italy, she had already been to Bergamo as a tourist: «I knew the Mai before arriving here, it is obviously one of the historical libraries that are studied and known when one studies ancient books: its impact it wasn’t a surprise. What was the surprise at Mai was the backstage, that is, all the deposits, archives, spaces, those not accessible to the public which are truly enormous: they house 750 thousand volumes.”
And now his ideas are very clear: «My project for Mai is a library in the center of the city, included in cultural relations: Bergamo is a city with exceptional energy, enormous potential which often perhaps needs to be stimulated, needs to be sought in relation to other institutions too.” He has a great desire to “do together” explains Cristiana Iommi, who has three objectives for Mai: «Internationalize it, take it further outside Bergamo but also nationalize it and make it reach all over Italy: this is done through the valorization and promotion of our heritage, unique in our country».
Second objective concerns the world of school: «A continuous and methodical activity with the schools that I aim for: educating the young generations to the beauty of places too, not simply in the consultation of historical bibliographic documentary material of exceptional quality, will bring a great benefit to the lives of each of them regardless of their professions that will be done – explains Cristiana Iommi -. For example, a project that I care a lot about is this: I invited teachers of literary subjects to teach the texts through the original editions that we have in Mai. This is because I say, with a bit of a smile, that perhaps one day no one will remember the “Jerusalem liberated”, but they will remember having studied it inside the Sala Tassiana della Mai”.
Third objective? «I’m honest, this seems the simplest to me: it is to involve citizens more because I find that in this city there is a very widespread, deeply felt civic cultural participation. And therefore the relationship between the institutions and the citizen remains simpler than in other situations.”
Volcanic, she likes Bergamo and she also likes the lower city, «which I didn’t know and which now fascinates me». It’s impossible not to ask her at this point which book is her favorite, even if she admits that it’s a “somewhat personal” question: “South American authors are my favorites and so I’d say straight away”Gabriella, carnation and cinnamon” by Jorge Amado».
