AmalfiCoast-Atrani Book and Publishing Fair
Two days of books, publishers, and writers on the waterfront of Italy's smallest village
About AmalfiCoast-Atrani Book Fair
An open-air bookstore on the Amalfi Coast
In Atrani, in the province of Salerno, books leave the shelves to soak up the sun on the marina. For an entire weekend in late May, the Lungomare Escher, the ceramic-tiled promenade overlooking the village beach, fills with gazebos, tables, and stalls: this is the AmalfiCoast-Atrani Book and Publishing Fair, an event championed by the municipal administration led by Mayor Michele Siravo and curated by journalist Antonio Di Giovanni. The format is simple and successful: publishers exhibit, authors share their stories, and the public strolls between stalls with the sound of the waves as a backdrop.
Twenty publishing houses and fifty authors
The hallmark of the fair is variety. Alongside small and medium-sized publishing houses from Campania, the event hosts entities from other Italian regions, including a well-established Tuscan delegation and the participation of local cultural institutions such as the Centro di Cultura e Storia Amalfitana. Previous editions have featured, among others, Nibiru Edizioni, Officine Zephiro, Print-Art, Argon Edizioni, Galzerano editore, and Il Saggio, alongside dozens of independent authors. Participation is free even for exhibitors: each receives a gazebo or table, chairs, lighting, and a power outlet in exchange for being available to publicly present their work.
Continuous presentations
The schedule is exceptionally dense: from 10:00 AM until late evening, presentations rotate every fifteen to twenty minutes, with thirty minutes reserved for publishing houses and fifteen for independent authors. Topics range from novels to essays, poetry to thrillers, local Amalfi history to scientific outreach, with sessions also dedicated to freedom of the press and the relationship between culture and territory. Those not on the official program can still present their work directly at their publisher's booth, fostering the intimate dialogue that defines the fair.
The kids' area and workshops
A specific space, named after Anna Tagliaferri and Mimmo Aleotti, is reserved for children and teenagers: it hosts animated readings, creative writing workshops, and meetings with illustrators and children's book authors. This is a deliberate choice by the organizers, who aimed to involve students from local schools on the Coast, most notably the IISS Marini-Gioia-Comite of Amalfi.
Music, awards, and civic engagement
- Evening concerts on the promenade at the end of each day, featuring local musical groups
- Awards ceremony for guests of honor on the final evening, recognizing writers, journalists, and cultural workers
- Participation in the "Posto Occupato" campaign against violence against women and all forms of gender-based violence: a chair remains symbolically empty for the duration of the event
- Welcome aperitif and social gatherings offered by local merchants
Atrani, the smallest village in Italy
The setting does most of the work. Atrani is the smallest municipality in Southern Italy by area, just over twenty hectares squeezed between the Valle del Dragone and the sea, a stone's throw from Amalfi: a labyrinth of staircases, arches, alleys, and courtyards that inspired the lithographs of Maurits Cornelis Escher, to whom the promenade hosting the fair is dedicated. The main square, the church of San Salvatore de' Birecto, and the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria Maddalena frame the scene behind the stands. A book event in this context is also a way to bring cultural life to the Coast outside of purely tourist circuits and to extend the season for a territory that thrives on the sea and lemons.
Why visit
Because it is a human-scale fair where you can truly talk to publishers and authors without the queues and crowds of large trade shows; because admission is free and the program lasts from morning to night; and because you can alternate visiting the stands with a swim, a walk toward Amalfi along the scenic road, or a stop at one of the village's pastry shops. The Municipality of Atrani and the artistic direction have already announced their intention to grow the event in the coming years with new national collaborations.
AmalfiCoast-Atrani Book Fair — edition 2026
A sold-out edition
The 2026 edition confirmed the successful formula: registrations closed ten days early because all available spaces on the marina had already been assigned. Over twenty publishing houses and around fifty authors enlivened the two days, under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture, the national campaign "Il Maggio dei Libri", the Campania Region, the Tuscany Region, and the Province of Salerno.
Guests and awards
Notable guests included host and author Pino Strabioli, manager and writer Pier Luigi Celli, journalist Elena Tempestini, Giovanni Bernabei, Anna Maria Iacobacci, actor and screenwriter Gianni Mauro, science communicator Anselmo Pagani, Elisabetta Failla, Lorella Di Biase, and entrepreneur Vittorio Perrotta, all honored during the closing ceremony on Sunday evening.
The rhythm of the two days
From 10:00 AM until past 9:00 PM, presentations followed one another at twenty-minute intervals, alternating between fiction, poetry, non-fiction, local Amalfi history, and science outreach. The evenings concluded with music: Saturday with the beat band directed by Maestro Serena Della Monica, and Sunday with the group "I Figli del Vesuvio" led by Maestro Enrico Della Monica.
Programme AmalfiCoast-Atrani Book Fair 2026
Saturday, May 30, 2026
- 10:00 - Opening of stands, welcome by Mayor Michele Siravo, and welcome aperitif
- 10:10 - Inauguration of the "Anna Tagliaferri and Mimmo Aleotti" kids' area with the beat band
- 10:20 - Pensiero Creativo Agency: reading and writing workshops for children
- 10:40 - Vittorio Perrotta, "La collezione di una vita nella Villa Alessandrina"
- 11:00 - Presentation of "Il Sultano. La vita di Recep Tayyip Erdogan" by Gennaro Sangiuliano
- 11:20 - Anselmo Pagani and Lucia Ferrigno, "Libri e libertà"
- 11:40 - Antonella D'Uva, "Trappola di luce"
- 12:00 - Anna Maria Iacobacci: culture, Pinocchio Prize, and Atrani Prize
- 12:20 - 13:20 - Mariacarla Panariello "La rosa dell'anima", Carmine Leo "Riamare: tornare a sentire", Anna D'Auria "Nayef e Norah. L'amore non tace", e-Campus University space
- 14:30 - 17:00 - Francesco Corvino, Federico Corberi, Attilio Pepe, Adele Grassito, Marianna Borriello, Dedy Leone, CO.RI. Institute, Maria Rosaria Pugliese
- 17:10 - 19:00 - Tina Di Leo, Nunzia Mazzei, L'Arca di Noè Editions, Sandra Vezzani, Antonella Colonna Vilasi, Officine Zephiro with "Ombre sulla Costa"
- 19:10 - 20:50 - Galzerano Editore on Attilio De Feo, Patrizia Bonaca, Gaetanina Longobardi, Gianni Mauro, Elena Tempestini and Giovanni Bernabei for the Tuscany Region
- 21:10 - Meeting with Pino Strabioli and presentation of awards to guests
- Following - Final concert by the beat band directed by Maestro Serena Della Monica
Sunday, May 31, 2026
- 10:00 - Reopening of stands
- 10:10 - 11:50 - Mauro Umile and Valeria Fattore, Orietta Bosch, Il Saggio Publishing House, Luisa Patta, Enrico Sodano
- 11:50 - 13:30 - Mario Carpenteri, Maria Tedeschi, Margherita Bonfilio, Antonietta Serino, Giovanna Mattino, Niente Canzoni d'Amore publishing house
- 14:30 - 16:30 - Danilo Salvatori, Virginia Vicinanza, Nibiru Edizioni with "Infinito Leopardi", Ivana Giugliano, Andrea Brancato, Antonella Alari Esposito
- 16:50 - 18:30 - Dino Vincenzo Petroni and Vincenzo Tafuri on Pino Daniele, Maria Angela Iozzino, Salvatore Gentile, Valentina Di Giovanni, Centro di Cultura e Storia Amalfitana with "La Scanderbeide", Lucia Ferrigno
- 18:30 - 19:10 - Carlo Di Lieto "Leopardi segreto", Pier Luigi Celli "La variante anima"
- 19:30 - 21:10 - Vincenzo Tafuri "Fiori di limoni, Amalfi e i suoi dintorni", Lorenzo Peluso, Pierpaolo Perrotti, Pietro Vuolo, Francesco Abate, Maurizio D'Elia
- 21:30 - Closing ceremony and awards for guests of honor
- Following - Concert by "I Figli del Vesuvio" with Maestro Enrico Della Monica
Indicative program provided by the organizers: individual presentation times were subject to change.
Highlights AmalfiCoast-Atrani Book Fair 2026
- Over 20 publishing houses and about 50 authors from all over Italy on the Atrani marina
- Continuous presentations from 10 AM to 10 PM, every 15-20 minutes
- Special guest Pino Strabioli, alongside Pier Luigi Celli, Elena Tempestini, Giovanni Bernabei, and Gianni Mauro
- "Anna Tagliaferri and Mimmo Aleotti" kids' area with reading and writing workshops
- Two evening concerts: beat band directed by Serena Della Monica and "I Figli del Vesuvio" by Enrico Della Monica
- Participation in the "Posto Occupato" campaign against violence against women
- Patronage from the Ministry of Culture, "Il Maggio dei Libri", Campania Region, Tuscany Region, and Province of Salerno
Prices AmalfiCoast-Atrani Book Fair 2026
Practical information — AmalfiCoast-Atrani Book Fair
Where it takes place
Marina di Atrani, along the Lungomare Escher and the village square, in the province of Salerno (Campania). The stands are outdoors: if it's sunny, a hat and water are recommended.
How to get there
- By car: SS163 Amalfitana state road; Atrani is located just after Amalfi. Please note that the center is pedestrian-only and parking is very limited and paid: it is better to leave the car in Amalfi or Ravello and continue on foot or by bus.
- By bus: SITA Sud lines from Amalfi (a few minutes), Salerno, and Sorrento along the coast.
- By train: Salerno or Vietri sul Mare station, then bus or ferry.
- By ferry: Seasonal connections to Amalfi from Salerno, Positano, Sorrento, and Capri; from Amalfi to Atrani, it is a ten-minute walk.
Hours and admission
Stands are open approximately from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM on both days. Free admission, no reservation required for stands or presentations.
Contacts
Information and registration for publishers and authors: artistic director Antonio Di Giovanni, [email protected], WhatsApp +39 335 8081580.
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Where does it take place — AmalfiCoast-Atrani Book Fair
Marina di Atrani - Lungomare Escher
Lungomare Escher, 84010 Atrani