Verona’s civic museums will revive the “A cavallo!” (“On Horseback!”) initiative with free readings for kids. There are eight set appointments in which children may explore the magical woods in search of knights, heroines, and wonderful creatures while their parents tour the museum. The project, which began on January 13, is geared toward kids aged 5 to 11 and will run on Saturday mornings at 11 a.m. until April 27. During the appointments, an educational professional will narrate an artwork on display at the museum and then read a tale to the children.

The activity is part of the “Verona città che legge” (“Verona City that Reads”) project, which seeks to introduce young children to reading. Every week, kids will be able to listen to a new book.

The reading program

Saturday, January 13
Galleria d’Arte Moderna Achille Forti Palazzo della Ragione
Doris Alberti reads Carlo Rovelli, Chandra Livia Candiani, and Walt Whitman.

Saturday, January 27
Museum of Frescoes
Stefano Di Simone legge brani tratti da William Shakespeare

Saturday, February 10
Castelvecchio Museum
Mirco Cittadini reads Dante Alighieri and Erri de Luca.

Saturday, February 24
Archeological Museum at the Roman Theatre
Isabella Dilavello reads Josè Saramago, Edgar Lee Master, Janet Frame, Peter Brook, and Roberto Latini.

Saturday, May 9
Castelvecchio Museum
Stefano Di Simone and Patrizia Vedovello Rossari read Catullo and Cesare Pavese.

Saturday, May 23
Achille Forti Gallery of Modern Art

Patrizia Vedovello Rossari reads Usama Al Shahmani and Mariangela Gualtieri.

Saturday, April 13
Museum of Frescoes
Isabella Dilavello reads Andrea Donanera and Reiner Maria Rilke.

Saturday, April 27
Archeological Museum at the Roman Theatre
Doris Alberti and Laura Lenci read Angelo Maria Ripellino, Yukio Mishima, Louis Stevenson, and Orazio.