11 March 2026 marks the second anniversary of the passing of Giuseppe Granieri, blogger, essayist and owner of sim unAcademy.
Lorenza Colicigno and Fabio Fornasari, in collaboration with Luciana Mattei, a lecturer at unAcademy and heir to Giuseppe’s vision, and with builder Antonio Laraia, alias Tonino Lane, discussed the opportunity to remember him for the role he played since the late 1990s, when he founded one of the first Italian blogs, “Bookcafè”, in the dissemination of technology and digital culture, particularly in relation to communication.
What better way to remember him than to launch a series of events that will preserve his memory over time and enrich the debate on digital culture.
The idea took shape in the creation of a dedicated shelf in the Library Centre of Potenza, the city where Giuseppe Granieri was born, where his publications are displayed alongside those of other authors on digital topics.
So what is the significance of this initiative? We can summarise it in this story:
A STORY OF ITS HISTORY
1. 2007 – How UnAcademy was born
Almost twenty years ago, researchers, artists, writers, scientists,
poets, programmers and politicians, all frequent users of Second
Life, the virtual platform that, before Twitter, Facebook,
Instagram and Tik Tok, was able to attract millions of people,
created the first edition of “UnAcademy”.
The idea was to use a virtual space, that
of Second Life, characterised by a high level of digital accessibility,
considering the sensitivity and objectives of the time
regarding the digital divide.
The aim was to build and promote meetings in which a community spread throughout Italy could participate: conferences
and courses on new technologies, on other
cutting-edge topics for the time, on politics, on
university research. Through UnAcademy, digital citizens
and visionaries conceived and implemented a different project
for the development of thought and learning,
which grew within a virtual space but had
an impact on the real world.
2. 2017 – UnAcademy Pignola
The goal of UnAcademy Pignola is to bring the experience of the first UnAcademy up to date with modern times, moving beyond the confines of Second Life, breaking down the barrier between the physical and virtual worlds, and recreating, in a beautiful village in Basilicata
(Pignola, 7 km from Potenza), a centre of excellence in
digital technology, a place for young people,
senior citizens and the intellectual horizon of the network to meet and connect. A physical location
with classrooms and adequate infrastructure dedicated to
dissemination and discussion, where meetings,
conferences and educational activities can be organised, giving space to an
educational model parallel to the traditional one,
but faster and more responsive in times of increasingly rapid change.
3. 2020 – UnAcademy and the school
UnAcademy Craft. The goal has not yet been
fully achieved. Thanks in part to COVID and
distance learning, experimentation and research
on learning has resumed in a mixed relationship
between reality and virtuality. Learning environments have been created
within the virtual world, in constant
dialogue with school classes, connecting
them through the interactive whiteboard. During school hours,
the children, accompanied by teachers
in the classroom and teachers and animators in Craft,
explore and learn about
different forms of reality.
Last but not least, a concept has been developed around
the accessibility and sustainability of the project with
greater sensitivity and experience.
11 March 2026 marks the second anniversary of the passing of Giuseppe Granieri, blogger, essayist and owner of sim unAcademy.
Lorenza Colicigno and Fabio Fornasari, in collaboration with Luciana Mattei, a lecturer at unAcademy and heir to Giuseppe’s vision, and with builder Antonio Laraia, alias Tonino Lane, discussed the opportunity to remember him for the role he played since the late 1990s, when he founded one of the first Italian blogs, “Bookcafè”, in the dissemination of technology and digital culture, particularly in relation to communication.
What better way to remember him than to launch a series of events that will preserve his memory over time and enrich the debate on digital culture.
The idea took shape in the creation of a dedicated shelf in the Library Centre of Potenza, the city where Giuseppe Granieri was born, where his publications are displayed alongside those of other authors on digital topics.
So what is the significance of this initiative? We can summarise it in this story:
A STORY OF ITS HISTORY
1. 2007 – How UnAcademy was born
Almost twenty years ago, researchers, artists, writers, scientists,
poets, programmers and politicians, all frequent users of Second
Life, the virtual platform that, before Twitter, Facebook,
Instagram and Tik Tok, was able to attract millions of people,
created the first edition of “UnAcademy”.
The idea was to use a virtual space, that
of Second Life, characterised by a high level of digital accessibility,
considering the sensitivity and objectives of the time
regarding the digital divide.
The aim was to build and promote meetings in which a community spread throughout Italy could participate: conferences
and courses on new technologies, on other
cutting-edge topics for the time, on politics, on
university research. Through UnAcademy, digital citizens
and visionaries conceived and implemented a different project
for the development of thought and learning,
which grew within a virtual space but had
an impact on the real world.
2. 2017 – UnAcademy Pignola
The goal of UnAcademy Pignola is to bring the experience of the first UnAcademy up to date with modern times, moving beyond the confines of Second Life, breaking down the barrier between the physical and virtual worlds, and recreating, in a beautiful village in Basilicata
(Pignola, 7 km from Potenza), a centre of excellence in
digital technology, a place for young people,
senior citizens and the intellectual horizon of the network to meet and connect. A physical location
with classrooms and adequate infrastructure dedicated to
dissemination and discussion, where meetings,
conferences and educational activities can be organised, giving space to an
educational model parallel to the traditional one,
but faster and more responsive in times of increasingly rapid change.
3. 2020 – UnAcademy and the school
UnAcademy Craft. The goal has not yet been
fully achieved. Thanks in part to COVID and
distance learning, experimentation and research
on learning has resumed in a mixed relationship
between reality and virtuality. Learning environments have been created
within the virtual world, in constant
dialogue with school classes, connecting
them through the interactive whiteboard. During school hours,
the children, accompanied by teachers
in the classroom and teachers and animators in Craft,
explore and learn about
different forms of reality.
Last but not least, a concept has been developed around
the accessibility and sustainability of the project with
greater sensitivity and experience.
4. 11 March 2026 An Idea for a Digital Culture Bookshelf
This short story recounts the thoughts that were
central to the vision of Giuseppe Granieri, who
researched, explored and observed the behaviour of
people immersed in their own world of technology,
expression and knowledge. A philosopher, experimenter and
fan of Saramago, he shared with him the idea that
it is not the accumulation of information that is essential, but the
construction of a true shared culture.
We, along with him, believe that ignorance, and not culture,
is the real danger to society, so we intend to
continue his journey with new reflections and new
projects.
For this reason, we have come up with the idea of a Bookshelf,
which will collect volumes donated by the community on
the theme of digital culture. These will be part of a
bookshelf “inspired by” and “dedicated to” Giuseppe Granieri.
Where?
At the headquarters of the Potenza Library Centre
in Via Don Minozzi, 85100 Potenza, Italy, online and in collaboration with aAcademy – Craft Word.
The participation of digital culture enthusiasts and experts is expected.
For those who wish to participate, here is the link: craft-world.org:8002:unacademy
