Thematic sites - Municipality of Milan

Milan, 11 May 2022 – A commemorative plaque dedicated to Roberto Chiapella, creator, founder and president of the first condominium library opened in Milan, who passed away on 27 March.

The unveiling ceremony of the plaque placed on the facade of the building that houses the library, in via Rembrandt 12, was held today in the presence of the municipal administration, committed to preserving and transmitting the value of memory.

Chiapella was the founder and animator of the first condominium library in the city, in San Siro. In 2013, when the concierge of the building in via Rembrandt was disused, Roberto - as everyone in the neighborhood knew him - realized his little dream and founded the first condominium library, transferring thousands of books there. In a short time, a disused place had become a space open to the community, between book presentations and moments of discussion.

After the first experiment a stone's throw from Piazzale Selinunte in Municipality 7, thanks to the intuition and passion of other citizens, the experience has been replicated over the years in other condominiums, popular and otherwise, especially in the less central neighborhoods of Milan, where meeting and sharing spaces dedicated to books and reading have been opened to encourage inclusion processes.

The commemorative plaque for Roberto Chiapella is part of the Municipality's program of initiatives "Milan is memory".