Laveno Mombello, the Bibliotherapy Festival gets underway

Context

TL;DR

• At Villa Frua, the festival workshops have begun.
• On Saturday, October 10, participants put themselves to the test.
• A walk, poetry, doodles, and picture books opened the day.
• The event continues throughout the weekend.

Key facts

• Location → Villa Frua, Laveno Mombello
• 19 October
• The therapeutic → power of the book
• Morning literary → walk and workshops
• Continuation → evening and Sunday morning

The first Saturday programme

The first workshops of the Bibliotherapy Festival were held in Villa Frua on Saturday 10 October. The exhibition, dedicated to the healing aspects of the word, is being held at Laveno Mombello throughout the weekend. The initiative inaugurated a day made up of stories from literature, emotions from poetry, creativity from illustrated books and freedom from scribbling.

In the halls of the library and the town hall, many participants experienced different activities. Led by experienced professionals, they gave space to creativity and imagination; what united the paths were words, images and stories.

The literary walk curated by Emiliano Cribari kicked off the day. The route crossed the centre of Laveno, weaving words and glimpses of the village, to rediscover the pleasure of walking together and recognising poetry even in familiar places. So reading and movement left the halls to meet the spaces of the country.

Tina Festa led the creative doodle workshop in the morning. Inspired by the Caviardage method, the practice invited participants to let go lightly, rediscovering the pleasure of the gesture and the creative force of poetry. At the same time, in her humanistic bibliotherapy desk, Alessia Bianchi guided guests in the search for words capable of enhancing the uniqueness of each one.

Space also for the registers illustrated in the laboratory curated by Elena Garroni. At the centre were their possible applications in schools and the ability to stimulate the birth of new ideas. The first part of the day thus brought together walking, poetry, creative writing, images and personal reflection, showing the different ways in which the festival addresses the power of the word.

Operational details

The afternoon between identity and memory

In the afternoon, Claudia Ferraroli led an illustrated bibliotherapy workshop, bringing creativity back to the fore. Participants tried their hand at imagining alternative lives and creating masks. The aim of the process was to create the “book of one's own life,” using images and invention as a form of personal exploration.

In the next room, Michela Avella asked her guests the question “Who am I really?”. Guided by the expert, the group members explored their own identity through reading. The book thus became the starting point for reflecting on what each person recognizes about themselves.

Chiara Zuffrano led the next workshop, also devoted to personal inquiry. Attention then shifted to the past. Participants tried to put their memories into words, working within an experiment in free autobiographical writing.

The afternoon activities followed three connected directions: imagining alternative lives, the question of identity, and a return to memories. Masks, reading, and writing offered participants different tools for reflecting on themselves, without straying from the theme of bibliotherapy.

The process showed how creativity can move from one language to another. First images and masks, then reading as a guide to exploring identity, and finally writing to give shape to the past: each workshop addressed a distinct aspect of personal inquiry. The afternoon's work therefore added a dimension of self-knowledge to the day, through activities led by various female professionals.

Amid words, images, and stories, the Bibliotherapy Festival reaffirmed the value of books. They offer more than entertainment and learning opportunities: they can also help people get to know their inner selves and live better with themselves. This is the thread linking the offerings devoted to identity, memories, and autobiographical writing.

Key points

The continuation of the event

The Bibliotherapy Festival does not stop with the day of the workshops. After the evening events, the programme continues on Sunday morning with a new series of initiatives. The evening includes Emiliano Cribari’s performance and Stefano Laffi’s conference, two events scheduled after the activities held on Saturday.

The event then resumes on Sunday morning with a programme described as rich in initiatives. Among the proposals listed are yoga, workshops and meetings. The festival thus retains an articulated structure, in which different moments accompany the relationship with words, creativity and reflection.

The continuation does not erase the work of the day, but carries it towards further events. After the activities devoted to poetry, picture books, identity and memories, the schedule adds an evening with a performance and a conference, before returning the following morning to workshops and meetings. Yoga is included in the same Sunday programme, alongside the other initiatives.

The meaning of the event remains that which emerged among the rooms of the library and the town hall: using words, images and stories to draw closer to one’s inner self. Saturday’s programme demonstrated this aim through creative and reading experiences; the announced continuation confirms that the festival is conceived as a journey spread throughout the entire weekend.

At Laveno Mombello, therefore, the schedule continues with the evening events and the initiatives planned for Sunday morning. The Bibliotherapy Festival keeps the book and the word at its centre, but presents them through different forms: the performance, the conference, yoga, workshops and meetings. The event closes the day by reminding us that reading and working with stories can serve not only to learn or relax, but also to live better with ourselves.

Source: varesenews.it