Cavareno Incontra
The summer literary festival of the Upper Val di Non
About Cavareno Incontra
A literary festival in the heart of the Upper Val di Non
Cavareno Incontra is the summer author series that transforms the small town of Cavareno, on the Upper Val di Non plateau, into a cultural hub of Trentino-Alto Adige. Promoted by the Pro Loco of Cavareno with the support of the municipality, the festival brings writers, journalists, science communicators, and mountain experts to engage with the public every summer in Piazza Giovanni Prati, the village's main square, and other evocative locations like the Parco Pineta.
From 2017 to today: years of books and dialogue
Launched in 2017, the festival has grown year after year, evolving from a simple book presentation cycle into a space for exchange between authors, readers, and the community. Past editions have hosted prominent figures of Italian culture, including Strega Prize winner Helena Janeczek, Enrico Galiano, and Carlo Cottarelli. Carefully curated by the Department of Culture and Pro Loco volunteers, the event has become one of the most anticipated literary appointments of the summer in Val di Non.
An open-air literary salon
The format of Cavareno Incontra blends literature with investigative journalism, science communication, and mountain storytelling. Meetings, scheduled between July and August, usually take place at 6:00 PM or 9:00 PM, moderated by local journalists, teachers, psychologists, and librarians. Admission is free, in line with the festival's mission: to foster direct contact between books and their readers in a charming natural setting of pine forests, meadows, and Dolomite landscapes.
Cavareno and the Val di Non
Situated at an altitude of over 900 meters, Cavareno is a village on the Upper Val di Non plateau, famous for its pine forests, the Charta della Regola, and the crisp air of the mountain summer. The festival celebrates this local identity: during the event, it is traditional to take a break dedicated to the Charta della Regula, a key identity moment for the plateau. Cavareno Incontra is much more than a series of presentations: it is a way to experience the Trentino summer through words, thought, and human connection.
Cavareno Incontra — edition 2026
2026 Edition: the tenth anniversary
In 2026, Cavareno Incontra celebrates its tenth edition, scheduled from July 4 to August 30. The chosen theme is "Words that open horizons". The program features fourteen main author events, a choral performance, and an immersive listening experience, all with free admission in Piazza Giovanni Prati and other village locations.
A focus on listening and silence
Among the highlights of the edition, the day of July 25 combines a high-altitude sound walk, "Silenzi in Quota" (Silences at Altitude), and a meeting with journalist Nicoletta Polla-Mattiot. The tenth anniversary will be celebrated on August 11 with the choral performance "Radici che sono le nostre" (Roots that are ours), scheduled at 6:00 PM at the Parco Pineta amphitheater and dedicated to the books that have marked the history of the festival.
Programme Cavareno Incontra 2026
2026 Program — "Words that open horizons"
- July 4, 9:00 PM — Paolo Malaguti (opening, Resistance and Alpine mountains)
- July 8, 9:00 PM — Toni Mira (testimony on Don Luigi Ciotti)
- July 12, 6:00 PM — Nicoletta Verna ("I giorni di vetro")
- July 19, 6:00 PM — Giorgio Zanchini
- July 25, 3:00 PM — immersive sound walk "Silenzi in Quota"; 9:00 PM — Nicoletta Polla-Mattiot (the ecology of silence)
- July 29, 9:00 PM — Quinto Antonelli (history of Trentino schools)
- August 4, 9:00 PM — Lenz Koppelstätter (Alpine noir)
- August 8, 9:00 PM — Marcello Fois (contemporary fiction)
- August 10, 9:00 PM — Antonella Viola (neuroscience and relationships)
- August 11, 6:00 PM — choral performance "Radici che sono le nostre" (Parco Pineta, tenth anniversary)
- August 12, 9:00 PM — Eliana Liotta (mind, body, and nutrition)
- August 19, 9:00 PM — Daniela Tommasini (Greenland)
- August 22, 8:30 PM — Don Marco Pozza (social and spiritual reflection)
- August 26, 8:30 PM — Michele Kettmajer (artificial intelligence)
- August 30, 6:00 PM — Tamara Lunger (mountaineering, K2 and Mongolia)
Highlights Cavareno Incontra 2026
- Tenth edition: ten years of literary festival in the Upper Val di Non
- Theme "Words that open horizons"
- Fourteen meetings with authors, journalists, scientists, and mountaineers
- Tenth-anniversary choral performance on August 11 at Parco Pineta
- Immersive experience "Silenzi in Quota" on July 25
- Guests including Paolo Malaguti, Marcello Fois, Antonella Viola, and Tamara Lunger
Prices Cavareno Incontra 2026
Practical information — Cavareno Incontra
How to get there
Cavareno is located in the Upper Val di Non, in the Autonomous Province of Trento. By car: take the A22 motorway exit at San Michele all'Adige/Mezzocorona, then follow the SS43 through Val di Non to the plateau. By train: the Trento-Malé-Mezzana railway reaches Val di Non, with bus connections to Cavareno.
Admission and information
Free admission to all events. Some special events, such as immersive listening experiences, may require registration. For the updated program and registration, please check the channels of the Pro Loco and the Municipality of Cavareno.
When
Meetings are held between July and August, usually at 6:00 PM or 9:00 PM, in Piazza Giovanni Prati and other village locations.
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Where does it take place — Cavareno Incontra
Piazza Giovanni Prati
Piazza Giovanni Prati, 38011 Cavareno