Castiglione’s Cultural Growth: Libraries, Museums, and Future Initiatives

A city of culture. This has been the idea of Mayor Sigurtà since 2001. Reviewing all the cultural events and services already offered by the Municipality in this sector, the mayor realized that there is already a lot being done for culture.

Even if, artistically, there are not many significant testimonies. The few paintings present in the area are concentrated in the Aloisian Museum and the two main churches, the Duomo and the Basilica of San Luigi, while the architecture features numerous Baroque examples but limited evidence of other periods. There are two structures, besides the Social Theater, which give an idea of how increasingly culture involves the city and its people: the municipal library and the International Red Cross Museum.

Statistics and cultural initiatives

Over 40,000 volumes, 2,313 readers, more than 25,000 loans in 2000, and over 250 internet service users: the statistics from Palazzo Pastore speak volumes about the deep roots of public reading in Castiglione.

Then there is the Red Cross attraction hub: in 2000, 8,772 visitors from around the world, including Japan, Canada, the European Union, Latvia, and Turkey, among others.

In addition to these permanent opportunities, there are exhibitions, shows, the ‘Cultural Fridays’ organized by the mayor himself in October, and the Tuesday parish gatherings that are focusing on current affairs.

Future projects

To propel Castiglione toward becoming a true city of culture, Sigurtà plans to organize a conference on the Middle Ages in the coming autumn, involving Italian and foreign university professors.