The Turin National University Library organizes educational workshops aimed at primary and secondary school classes accompanied by teachers. The workshops provide an up-close look at the Library, its history and heritage, combining different modes of learning: interactive guided tours of the collections, creative workshops, and knowledge consolidation through games/quizzes.
Two dates are available each month (always on Wednesdays).
Reservations are required to participate at bu-to.didattica@cultura.gov.it.
The available dates for the 2025-2026 school year are as follows:
March
Wednesday 18 and Wednesday 25, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
April
Wednesday 8 and Wednesday 29, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
May
Wednesday 13 and Wednesday 20, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Workshop for 3rd-4th-5th grade elementary school classes.
The classes will be taken on an interactive guided tour, appropriate to the age of the participants, within the itinerary of the temporary exhibition March of Vivaldi, which will be open from March 4 to 26, 2026 in Sala Juvarra*. Afterwards, the classes will participate in the music workshop Emotions in Music: the children will listen to a piece by Vivaldi and each of them will receive a personal A3-sized board to work on, following the emotions inspired by the piece. There will be four boxes on the table containing cards themed Seasons, Colors, Sensations and Situations to choose from, and then they will paste them on the panel and color them. In a second step, children will be invited to draw in the diagram set up on the back of the panel their own story inspired by the song and the chosen cards. At the conclusion to the workshop, the classes will receive a certificate of participation and each child will be able to take their “picture of emotions in music” with them.
*The activity will remain available after the dates indicated; the exhibition visit will be replaced by an introduction to the topic with a viewing of some Vivaldi manuscripts.
A Jewel of a Book – starting April 2026
Workshop for 1st-2nd-3rd grade elementary school classes.
Classes will be taken on an interactive guided tour, appropriate to the age of the participants, within the path of the permanent exhibition Queen Margaret. After an introduction on the figure of the queen and her many passions, the theme of her personalized and precious covers will be explored. Afterwards, children will participate in the workshop of creating personalized covers modeled after the Queen Margaret Room bindings using different types of materials: fabrics, colors, adhesives. At the conclusion to the workshop, classes will receive a certificate of participation, and each child will be able to take their personalized cover with them.
Workshop for 2nd- 3rd grade secondary school classes.
Classes will be taken on an interactive guided tour, appropriate to the age of the participants, within the itinerary of the temporary exhibition March of Vivaldi, which will be open from March 3 to 26, 2026 in Sala Juvarra*. Afterwards, classes will participate in the workshop The Mysterious Journey of Vivaldi’s Autographs, which will explore the theme of the history of the Foà and Giordano collections, one of the strands addressed in the exhibition design. Classes will be divided into teams of five to 10 participants, and each team will be given an envelope containing: a sheet containing the history of the Vivaldi autographs, in which some elements are missing and must be completed by solving small puzzles; the materials needed to solve the puzzles, such as a map of Italy in which to find the cities featured in the story of the manuscripts; some letters from the historical archive displayed in the exhibition; and some challenges similar to puzzle games. To explain some key concepts of the story, such as “loose sheets” or “donor,” and have the children take them with them at the end of the experience, the story sheet will contain some highlighted boxes with definitions and insights. The activity will stimulate teamwork and the learning of knowledge related to the world of written music. At the conclusion to the workshop, classes will receive a certificate of participation and can take the reconstructed “collection history” with them.
*The activity will remain available after the dates indicated; the exhibition visit will be replaced by an introduction to the topic with a viewing of some Vivaldi manuscripts.
What a book looks like – starting April 2026
Workshop for all secondary school classes.
Interactive historical introduction to the Library and its collections, appropriate to the age of the participants. In-depth study of the history of the book: from manuscript to modern printed book. Final team quiz and activity of copying a page of a manuscript from the Library’s holdings. At the conclusion to the workshop, classes will receive a certificate of participation and each participant will be allowed to bring their own copy of the manuscript.
Workshop for all secondary school classes.
Classes will be taken on an interactive guided tour, appropriate to the age of the participants, within the itinerary of the temporary exhibition March of Vivaldi, which will be open from March 4 to 26, 2026 in Sala Juvarra*. Afterwards, classes will participate in the workshop The Mysterious Journey of Vivaldi’s Autographs, which will explore the theme of the history of the Foà and Giordano collections, one of the strands addressed in the exhibition design. Classes will be divided into teams of five to 10 participants, and each team will be given an envelope containing: a sheet containing the history of the Vivaldi autographs, in which some elements are missing and must be completed by solving small puzzles; the materials needed to solve the puzzles, such as a map of Italy in which to find the cities featured in the story of the manuscripts; some letters from the historical archive displayed in the exhibition; and some challenges similar to puzzle games. To explain some key concepts of the story, such as “loose sheets” or “donor,” and have the children take them with them at the end of the experience, the story sheet will contain some highlighted boxes with definitions and insights. The activity will stimulate teamwork and the learning of knowledge related to the world of written music. At the conclusion to the workshop, classes will receive a certificate of participation and can take the reconstructed “collection history” with them.
*The activity will remain available after the dates indicated; the exhibition visit will be replaced by an introduction to the topic with a viewing of some Vivaldi manuscripts.
What a book looks like – starting April 2026
Workshop for all secondary school classes.
Interactive historical introduction to the Library and its collections, appropriate to the age of the participants. In-depth study of the history of the book: from manuscript to modern printed book. Final team quiz and activity of copying a page of a manuscript from the Library’s holdings. At the conclusion to the workshop, classes will receive a certificate of participation and each participant will be allowed to bring their own copy of the manuscript.
