‘Pistoia Italian Book Capital 2026’, the journey between memory and literature

On Tuesday 8 September, at 5pm in Piazza della Resistenza, The Armed Resistance in Central Italy will be presented. Territories, protagonists, representations, volume edited by Ilaria Cansella, Stefano Gallo and Laura Mattei. The meeting, organized by the Historical Institute of the Resistance and the Contemporary Age, will propose a reflection on the Liberation and its various representations, through the events and protagonists of the territories of central Italy.

On September 9th, at the Tronci Foundation, literature meets music with L’Ellìade. Epic life of a drummer, autobiography by Ellade Bandini. The presentation, at 7pm, will be accompanied by a concert by Bandini himself together with Ares Tavolazzi, in a dialogue between story, memory and live performance that retraces some pages of the history of Italian music.

On 10 and 11 September, the program of Pistoia Italian Capital of Books includes a ‘trip’ to Florence on the occasion of the international conference “Atto Melani (Pistoia, 1626 – Paris, 1714) between Italy and Europe: society, family, culture, music, entertainment, courts and diplomatic networks. Research paths and reflections in the fourth centenary of his birth”, hosted by the State Archives of the capital of Region. Dedicated to the musician, diplomat and writer from Pistoia and held as part of the celebrations for the fourth centenary of his birth, the conference will delve into the figure and legacy of Melani, an extremely important protagonist of seventeenth-century European culture. Pistoia Capitale will also participate in the conference with a contribution dedicated to Melani in the collections of the Forteguerriana Library.

On September 11th, 25 years after the attacks on the Twin Towers in New York, the San Giorgio Library will propose a day of reflection on the memory of the tragic event with a film screening and the 9/11 – National Day of Service Volunteer Open House. On the same day, at the San Jacopo Hospital, “Words that cure” will be inaugurated, a project that will bring a library to the pediatrics and neonatal department for young patients.

September 18th will instead be dedicated to promoting reading with the Faggiolani Conference, scheduled for the whole day at the Terzani Auditorium of the San Giorgio Library. A central event to address the role of reading and libraries in contemporary society, accompanied by workshops and initiatives also aimed at younger people.

Also in September the path dedicated to training and editorial orientation that the ‘Capital’ began in recent months is characterized by an important initiative. “Book words”, an immersive course in writing-related professions organized in collaboration with the Marcos y Marcos publishing house, begins on the 25th at the San Giorgio Library and continues every Friday and Saturday until October 17th. Curated by Marco Zapparoli, Roberta Solari and Pier Franco Brandimarte, the course is free.

September 26th will be dedicated to literature as a tool for transformation and comparison. At the San Giorgio Library, as part of ‘Volti e wounds’, Christian Bobin: poet of the wounded wolves by Davide Cerullo with Sophie Chrétien will be presented, while at the Il Giardino delle Parole bookshop will be held Scriptures from chaos, a mini-festival of dissident literature with numerous authors and moments of dialogue dedicated to literary non-conformity.