Encouraging reading
Reading is the key to accessing knowledge and information, an enabling factor for learning and independent study, and stimulates cultural enjoyment in its various forms. Even so, propensity to read in Italy is below the European average: about 40% of Italians say they read at least one book a year for reasons not related to study or work.
According to Istat, enjoyment of reading depends on factors such as gender, level of education and age; parents’ reading habits and where people live are highly significant. Based on a Delphi survey conducted in 2019-2020, which showed that reading is often not considered enjoyable when a matter of having to, Fondazione Cariplo has decided to focus on the themes of curiosity and the pleasure of reading, by encouraging a call for proposals entitled “For Books and Reading” (2020 and 2022). Conversely, with theWidespread culture call (2024 and 2025), the Foundation’s aim was to work towards a mixture of reading and other vernaculars such as theatre, music, cinema, etc.
A second factor highlighted by the Delphi survey was the lack of effective school policies regarding literacy education; this prompted Fondazione Cariplo to support certain flagship initiatives in the educational field:
- #IReadBecauseLAB-NEST from the Italian Publishers Association
- Reading around – BookCity all year long from the BookCity Milano Association
- Like a kind of library from the Arnoldo and Alberto Mondadori Foundation
- Read to be happy! from the Roberto Franceschi Foundation
- Edoardo Kihlgren Literary Prize for a First Work from the Friends of Edoardo Association
- Read more from Mantua ETS International Festivals
As part of its international activities, the Foundation also supports The Europe Challenge, an ambitious initiative from the European Cultural Foundation that promotes libraries as safe spaces where people can meet, discuss and co-design initiatives working for the relevant community.
