Books

Italian author Marcella Nardi was born in the small medieval town Castelfranco Veneto, not far from Venice. Her first strong visual memory spans a drawbridge above a moat that leads to a castle, and a real castle it is.  Castelfranco Veneto means French Castle; it is here in this area where the Franks invaded Italy under Charlemagne. The town originates from the majestic castle built by the commune of Treviso in the course of its conflict against Padua, which was at that time controlled by the Franks. 

The key to understanding people and the world around us begins with education. One way to learn about the world is by developing a love of books. Each month, we profile a library. Large, small, urban, rural, post-modern, quaint or neo-classic; do you have a library that you love? Tell us about it. This month, Patricia Vaccarino writes about the Biblioteca Italiana Seattle (BIS), a library of books, film and music in the Italian language that is hosted by the Il Punto! Italian Cultural Center in Seattle.