Italian Book Capital 2022: Ivrea wins

After Chiari in 2020 and Vibo Valentia in 2021, for 2022 the Italian Book Capital is Ivrea. This was just announced by the Minister for Culture Dario Franceschini, communicating the decision taken by the jury of experts chaired by Marino Sinibaldi, new president of the Center for Book and Reading, and composed of Gerardo Casale, Stefano Eco, Cristina Loglio and Valentina Sonzini.

Also included among the Unesco Heritage as a symbol of the industrial city of the twentieth century, Ivrea thus prevailed over the other 7 municipalities that reached the final among the 16 candidates, namely Aliano (Matera), Barletta, Costa di Rovigo (Rovigo), Nola (Naples), Pistoia, Pescara and Pordenone.

The Ivrea project

The jury was convinced by an avant-garde cultural project with which Ivrea said it wanted to become a place of experimentation for the enhancement of reading, imagining the book as the starting point of knowledge, learning, development. An idea that alongside the economy the cultural, social and urban growth of the territory and therefore that of its inhabitants, as in Adriano Olivetti’s project, also referred to in the symbol of the candidacy dossier: Letter 22, legend among the portable typewriters made by Olivetti. An idea of ​​the future that the ministerial commission has rewarded for the ability to network multiple energies from all over the territoryto open up to the international dimension, to propose itself as a place where the future of books and reading is imagined but also for Ivrea’s attention to the new digital dimensions of the cultural experience.

«All the cities – underlined Marino Sinibaldi – presented very interesting projects and it was difficult to choose. We judged them on the basis of quality, originality, but also the ability to innovate and propose new elements, then to intervene on what the pandemic leaves us. Finally, the economic data was relevant, that is the ability of the common candidates to spend the money of the ministry and to attract new investments ».

The prize for the Book Capital

Ivrea in fact it will be able to carry out events, projects, infrastructures presented in the dossier thanks to 500 thousand euros which is awarded together with the title of Italian Capital of the Bookas required by the decree law passed in 2020 precisely with the aim of encouraging activities that promote reading, and in general cultural activities, in the name of sustainability also with reference to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the UN.

Stefano Sertoli, Mayor of Ivrea, commented: «We are really happy with this recognition, the result of a great job, in which we deeply believed. Ivrea will be able to share the extraordinary cultural heritage that it preserves with all of Italy and be the stage for everything that revolves around the world of books for a whole year. We wait here for readers, writers, publishers, booksellers to create together the Manifesto for the future of the book and give life to a year that really makes reading a collective heritage. My thanks go to all those who have supported us, from citizens to professionals up to public and private partners ».

“The Capital of the Book is a virtuous mechanism that will grow year by year as the Capital of Culture. Over time it will become clear that it is also a title to have been a finalist. Therefore, I thank the mayors of the Municipalities of Aliano, Barletta, Costa di Rovigo, Nola, Pescara, Pistoia, Pordenone for participating: all will be able to claim the title of having been selected in the short list, like Ivrea who won “, declared Minister Dario Franceschini at the proclamation of Ivrea as the Italian Capital of the Book of 2022.