Lorenza's Ladies of Lit

 Lorenza Colicigno's build on sim NoiLab in Craft is the coming together of a project dear to her heart which she calls "A room of one's own - Ariadne's Labyrinth". A long name for a big build you can enjoy in diverse ways: exploring this region just for fun, because it's full of treasures with a feminist twist, or if you're in the mood for a deep dive, take a moment to soak up some serious info on women who by and large have gotten a raw deal in the pages of literary history.The build is a walk in the park, matching humor and elegance of style with a thought-provoking trail through time. It's got a circular feel - the landing point, and first writerly mentions (Hellenic lit) are a stone's throw from the Enlightenment-age Ca' Rezzonica. 

Castle of Isabella Morra Valsinni

Buildings abound, some of them are general representations of houses in different eras, some are much more specific, like the hilltop home of 16th century poet Isabella Morra. 

Palazzo Laraia

Working with builder and virtual oldbie Tonino Lane (his first foray into SL was in 2003!),  Lorenza has built up a map of women thinkers and writers from the Classical age to modern times - finding space to celebrate her part of the world, the often overlooked region of Basilicata in Southern Italy. This is Palazzo Laraia in the little town of Ripacandida for example. However, not only Southern Italy is represented. Check out the hilltop Observatory dedicated to the Nobel-winning Italian astrophysicist and writer, Margherita Hack, a heroine of modern feminist thought. 

The province of Bologna is also celebrated with this sparkling recreation of Palazzo Stella Valsamoggia all marble and stucco - within its walls you'll find details of a bunch of 18th century women writers with fabulously rococo pen names.

Using the trope of the room, (a reference to Woolf's trademark phrase) the information about these ladies is laid out along a trail of historically accurate houses. The interiors are sparsely but appropriately furnished, giving you something about each poet, dramatist, journalist, or storyteller in chambers, whether it's the domestic interior of a Greek house...

... or cells and places of devotion surrounding the courtyard of a Medieval nunnery...

...or a hobbit-style house celebrating writers of the 20th century - journalists, essayists and authors, including of course Virginia Woolf who appropriately gets a room all to herself...

... or a futuristic walking dwelling, as shown here.

By the time you've visited it all - and there's plenty more including a working theater! - you'll have more than a passing acquaintance with the world of women's literature, and a greater appreciation for the talents of both Lorenza and Tonino, as well as their many colleagues, friends and collaborators in real life and inworld.