Monreale, Italian Book Capital 2027

There is a route in Sicily that has been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site: it explores the island’s Arab-Norman heritage, passing through its capital, Palermo, and the towns of Cefalù and Monreale. And it is precisely the latter, Monreale, with its cathedral whose interior is adorned with golden Byzantine-style mosaics, that will be the Italian Capital of the Book for 2027. The announcement was made by the Minister for Culture, Alessandro Giuli. The initiative is promoted by the Ministry of Culture through the Department for Cultural Activities and includes a prize of around half a million euros for the town with the best project. The objectives are manifold: not only to encourage reading and promote the book and publishing sectors, but also to contribute to social inclusion and regional development.

The Sicilian town secured victory with the project ‘Monreale reads the world’, out of a total of 31 entries – seven of which reached the final stage. Literary festivals, meetings with internationally renowned authors, educational programmes for schools, initiatives to promote reading in the region’s iconic locations and the expansion of the town’s library network: these are the activities that Monreale is committed to promoting, reaffirming its status as an open-air cultural hub.

“Winning the title of Italian Capital of Books 2027 demonstrates once again how Monreale is able to assert its identity as a cultural centre of excellence, capable of bringing its millennia-old roots and its UNESCO heritage into dialogue with the whole world through the transformative power of reading’ commented the mayor Alberto Arcidiacono in a joint statement with the Councillor for Education Patrizia Roccamatisi.