Contemporary Poetry Festival

A widespread festival dedicated to contemporary poetry

The Contemporary Poetry Festival in Ascoli Satriano is a cultural event designed to bring the general public closer to today's poetry, taking it out of the strictly literary realm and returning it to the town squares, the library, and the city's museum spaces. Hosted in the municipality of Ascoli Satriano, in the province of Foggia and within the Monti Dauni region, the festival is conceived as a widespread and itinerant event: meetings move between the library, the museum complex, the art gallery, and other local cultural venues.

The "Nicola Crocetti" Poetry Library

The heart of the festival is the "Nicola Crocetti" Poetry Library, housed at Villa Ricciardi along Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. The library holds the "Crocetti Collection," donated by the historic publisher and translator Nicola Crocetti, a library heritage entirely dedicated to poetry that is described as unique in Italy. It is around this precious collection that the event builds its identity, making Ascoli Satriano a small but surprising laboratory dedicated to verse.

A program of words, music, and arts

The festival alternates between different registers and languages: poetry readings, collection presentations with the authors present, poetry slams, and encounters between poetry and music, theater, and visual arts, as well as playful and participatory moments. Alongside the live events, there is also the "City of Ascoli Satriano" Poetry Competition, which invites both emerging and established poets to submit their manuscripts.

• Meetings with contemporary poets and authors
• Presentations of books and poetry collections
• Poetry slams and musical evenings
• Dialogue between poetry, visual arts, and theater
• Poetry competition open to the public

Artistic direction and organization

The artistic direction is entrusted to the poet and literary critic Enzo Lamartora. The festival is promoted by the Municipal Administration of Ascoli Satriano through the portal ascolisatrianoeventi.it, with the support of the Department of Culture. The event is part of a broader strategy for the cultural enhancement of the Daunian center, which combines poetry with the city's rich archaeological and historical heritage.

Ascoli Satriano and the Monti Dauni

Perched on three hills, Ascoli Satriano is one of the most evocative locations in the Monti Dauni, in Puglia. The festival offers the opportunity to discover the village, its museum complex, and the famous Daunian artifacts, combining the discovery of contemporary poetry with that of a territory still little touched by mass tourism.