Travelling with books

A book is a thing to treasure, a ticket to endless journeys to new destinations, a source of inspiration and exciting ideas. Here are some tips and suggestions, not just for bookworms, to keep you entertained while waiting to travel in the real world again. 

Audiobooks, ebooks and much more. 

Just go to the #IOLEGGODIGITALE portal to access the online resources from the INDACO network, a large online digital library powered by DM Cultura. You'll find over 2 million pieces of digital content here, including ebooks and audiobooks (as well as music, films, language courses, video games and more). There are also about 800,000 links to digital documents already available from Opac SBN managed by the ICCU.

Discover the stories and secrets of La Scala in Milan with the kids 

MUSEO KIDS is the area designed especially for young theatre buffs to It is called MUSEO KIDS the section dedicated to young theatre lovers, to explore the stories, tales and secrets of the famous and renowned Teatro alla Scala di Milano. Every Sunday a new story by Augusta Gori is posted on the website, to entertain children with interesting facts and anecdotes about the Theatre. Do you want to know the origins of La Scala? Find out about the “bel canto queens”? Enjoy a hot chocolate while you admire the pictures displayed in the different rooms? Just sit back and listen to (and watch) the videos and accounts.

Remarkable treasures of the past in archives you can browse online

Perhaps you've taken advantage of your time at home to dust off the great classics on your bookshelf. But don't you feel just a little bit nostalgic for libraries with their shelves crammed with ancient and modern texts, brimming with stories and accounts from the past? If the answer is yes, take a look at the vast online archives of the World Digital Library, with no less than 19,147 records from around 193 countries. The Sistema Bibliotecario Milanese (SBM) website is also very well managed, it has launched online registration for people to access the MediaLibraryOnLine (MLOL), the digital lending database. For more information, see the Biblioteca digitale lombarda (BDL) website, which lists the services and materials available online, including a large number of texts, maps, and photos, held in leading libraries and archives in Lombardy.

Remote literary performances and events 

Real book lovers will undoubtedly want to listen to the narrators' voices and let themselves be swept away in the stories: you'll be pleased to hear there are various online communities, such as the  Scrittori a domicilio group of writers at home, which organizes live streamed presentations, including a children's corner: La stanza di Penny (Penny’s room). Also worth a mention is the “Una storia ci salverà” project, the first completely digital Italian literary festival inspired by Boccaccio's The Decameron, with well-known and lesser-known names from the world of fiction and beyond.