LETTERATURE Festival Internazionale di Roma 25th edition - SCONFINARE

Three evenings of literature, live music and interviews with authors (from 19 to 21 June) in the majestic setting of the Palatino Stadium, within the Colosseum Archaeological Park, and a final event at the Idroscalo in Ostia on 18 July, as part of the Puntasacra Film Fest.

Now in its 25th edition, Rome’s historic festival with the most important contemporary literary voices has chosen “Sconfinare” (Crossing Boundaries) as its guiding theme for 2026, exploring the limits imposed by the body, role and word. Each evening will be structured around a theme: “Those who write the world. Women and power dynamics” on 19 June, “Against the wind. Stories of resistance” on 20 June and “The invisible maps. The power of words” on 21 June. Marino Sinibaldi, Eva Giovannini and Pegah Moshir Pour will guide the audience through the two-hour literary performance, weaving the narrative thread that links the guests and the chosen themes. Each evening, a different musician will take to the stage for a live musical performance.

Alongside the music of Chiara Civello, the highlights of the first evening include the journalist and writer Concita De Gregorio, the American writer Rachel Kushner in conversation with Marino Sinibaldi, Patrizia Valduga, Neige Sinno in conversation with the writer Rosella Postorino, and the award-winning cartoonist Fumettibrutti, who will be drawing live. Opening with a tribute to Marjane Satrapi, the second evening will feature journalist and writer Widad Tamimi, Ahmet Altan and Samar Yazbek, Pietro Sermonti and Zerocalcare, Yaryna Grusha and Russian journalist Vera Politkovskaya, daughter of Anna Politkovskaya. The music of Gabriele Coen and Ziad Trabelsi will intertwine with readings of unpublished works (curated by actress Maria Chiara Giannetta) and interviews. The third evening will open with an unpublished work by the Spanish poet and novelist Manuel Vilas, followed by an interview with the French writer, screenwriter and director Emmanuel Carrère. Veronica Raimo, Yuri Herrera and Kiran Desai will then take to the stage. The evening’s readings will be presented by Gaetano Bruno and Neri Marcoré, with the musical interlude performed by Erica Mou.

The full program is available on the festivaldelleletterature website and on the event’s social media channels. Admission to all events is free, subject to availability. The 2026 edition of LETTERATURE is curated by Silvia Barbagallo and Anna Voltaggio and is promoted by the Assessorato alla Cultura e al Coordinamento delle iniziative riconducibili alla Giornata della Memoria di Roma Capitale, organised by the Department of Cultural Activities, with organisational coordination by Zètema Progetto Cultura, in collaboration with the Colosseum Archaeological Park.