Gianni Mura Sports Library, Paolo Maggioni explains its many meanings
Paolo Maggioni, creator of the Gianni Mura Sports Library and host of La Domenica Sportiva, spoke to Sportal.it about the opening of the facility and also took stock of the situation.
“It was a wonderful celebration with a door open to the city, to those who want to come and learn about sports stories, to those who want to fall in love with this heritage of books that is truly extraordinary. We, as an association, wanted to create this place to remember a dear friend of ours and to pass on his very important teachings: the project was born a couple of years ago” he explained.
“These are volumes donated by authors, publishers and ordinary citizens but also by friends of Gianni and his family,” he added: these are gestures for which we are very grateful. Of course, one can continue to contribute by donating books dedicated to sports, as long as they are in good condition, so that they become the core of the collection and preserve them as a shared heritage within the city’s library network. It is the most authentic way to remember Gianni: through words, books and the sense of community that he always loved”.
“It is important to keep open the debate related to sports, which is not only a fact of the field and gestures but is also a cultural and civil fact. And the fact that so many big names in Italian journalism were there today confirms that many people recognize themselves in Gianni’s message. And then Milan is a deeply inclusive city” Maggioni then remarked.
Already almost 2,200 volumes are catalogued and ready for consultation: a collection destined to grow further over time. Milan’s first Sports Library named after Gianni Mura is located at Via Confalonieri 3, in the Isola district. A public space designed to tell the story of sport not only as competition, but as cultural, social and civil expression. A project that pays tribute to the memory of the great journalist and, at the same time, looks ahead, focusing on the active involvement of the city.
