Antonio Seccareccia National Poetry Prize of Frascati

A historic award for Italian poetry

The Antonio Seccareccia National Poetry Prize of Frascati is among Italy's most enduring literary awards: in 2025 it reached its 65th edition, and in 2026 it entered the heart of its 66th. Named after the poet Antonio Seccareccia, the prize is organized by the Frascati Poesia Association in collaboration with the Municipality of Frascati, in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio. It is not a street festival or a local fair, but a national-level literary event that has deeply rooted itself in the cultural life of this Tusculan town.

A roll of honor that tells the story of 20th-century poetry

Browsing the prize's roll of honor is like retracing a significant portion of contemporary Italian poetry's history. Among the authors awarded over the decades are names such as Alfonso Gatto and Andrea Zanzotto, and more recently Milo De Angelis and Valerio Magrelli. It is this continuity, maintained quietly for over sixty years, that gives the Frascati award a significance reaching far beyond the borders of the Castelli Romani.

How the prize works

Each edition opens with a call for entries for published poetry collections. A jury of poets and critics—which has included Domenico Adriano, Claudio Damiani, and Renato Minore in recent years—selects a trio of finalists, announced in the weeks leading up to the ceremony. The winner is proclaimed during the awards evening, traditionally hosted in the Scuderie Aldobrandini Auditorium.

• Antonio Seccareccia National Poetry Prize of Frascati — main section, dedicated to published poetry
• Ugo Reale Frascati Youth Prize — section reserved for younger voices, which reached its 17th edition in 2025
• Elio Matassi National Philosophy Prize of Frascati and non-fiction section, promoted by the same association

Schools at the center

A distinctive feature of the prize is its work with local schools. The finalist collections are made available to students in Frascati and the Castelli Romani; they read and discuss them in class, and on the morning of the ceremony, they meet the finalist poets in person. These events are complemented by readings for children and meetings with guest writers, making the prize a widespread educational journey rather than just a gala evening.

Frascati Poetry all year round

The association's activities do not end with the autumn ceremony. Throughout the year, the calendar is enriched with book presentations, readings, and conferences, many hosted at the Giulio Ferroni Library Fund in Frascati—a collection specializing in contemporary Italian literature, created from the critic's donation and comprising about seven thousand volumes. In 2026, the program featured meetings between poetry and science, and themed evenings such as «E tu Luna» (And you, Moon), held in June with the participation of poets and researchers. Completing the picture is Frascati Poesia Magazine, an online monthly publication with reviews, critical essays, and an anthology section.

Frascati, the city of wine and poetry

Overlooking the Alban Hills just over twenty kilometers from Rome, Frascati is famous for its Tusculan villas, the white wine that bears the city's name, and the fraschette (traditional taverns) where one can enjoy porchetta and coppiette. The Scuderie Aldobrandini, the venue for the awards, is a 17th-century building designed by Girolamo Fontana, now restored as a museum hub and auditorium: a setting that perfectly reflects the spirit of the prize—cultured yet never distant from the community's daily life. Those attending the evening can easily combine it with a visit to the historic center, the Cathedral of San Pietro, and Villa Aldobrandini.