Lonato to Launch Documentation Center for Local History and Culture

Lonato will have its own documentation center. The project exists. It has been conceived, studied, and promoted by the association “Amici della fondazione Ugo da Como“, which is fully committed to realizing it in the very near future. “We believe – states Giancarlo Pionna, an active member of the cultural association – that it is time to try to bring together everything that has so far been collected, saved, and preserved into a single entity, so as to have a clear reference point for those interested in learning more about the community where they were born or are currently living.”

Objectives and contents of the project

The focus is on documents, but not only. Not just sheets of paper like many bureaucratic forms, but an important part of Lonate history. The project has received the support of the Ugo da Como foundation management, also thanks to the support of Luciano Faverzani. Two premises near the Casa del Podestà have already been allocated for use, to serve both as the association’s headquarters and to house the new center.

The facility will be accessible to everyone who, out of necessity or simple curiosity, wishes to deepen their knowledge of Lonato and its territory. The general plan for what is to be implemented, without limiting other initiatives that may be deemed appropriate to undertake gradually, is truly remarkable.

Planned activities

First and foremost, collecting everything that has been published and written about Lonato, covering a wide range of topics. The work will involve sourcing, as much as possible, all existing documents and publications, whether in original form or, in the case of old or no longer available texts, photocopies or microfilm. In fact, this effort has already begun, and in a very short time, about one hundred publications with roughly 500 titles have already been collected.

There is also the development of a historical-photographic archive. “We are aware – explains Pionna – of how much material of this type can be found in the homes of Lonate families and how it risks, one day, being lost. Those unwilling to part with their items could agree to create reproductions of them.”

Images and traditions

A photographic census of works of art, architectural and monumental sites, as well as characteristic views of Lonato and its hamlets, is also planned. The goal is to promote their preservation and to hand down to future generations the images of the town at the beginning of the third millennium.

Finally, there will be a study and census of the environment of the Lonate territory, covering flora, fauna, archaeological sites, and a research on local traditions. “It might be an overly ambitious project,” concludes Pionna, “but we start from the premise that its realization should involve not only members of our association but also and primarily institutions, private sponsors, and all those who care about the village’s well-being.”

Ways to collaborate

Many ways exist to contribute: by providing materials already in one’s possession, by indicating individuals or organizations that might have relevant items for the project, collaborating directly in research, cataloging, filing, photocopying, internet uploads, and other necessary tasks to properly organize the incoming material. Supporting financially some specific research campaigns and facilitating the publication or exhibition of research results are also encouraged.

Anyone wishing to learn more can contact the association directly in Lonato at via Rocca 2 or click here to email pionna@libero.it. Roberto Darra