Giancarlo Flavi Award - Environment and Journalism

An award born from a great legacy

The Giancarlo Flavi Award - Environment and Journalism debuted in June 2026 in Serrone, in the province of Frosinone, in the heart of the Ciociaria region. This is no ordinary event: it inherits the legacy of the International Rocca d'Oro Award, established in 1989 by the cultural association of the same name. For nearly thirty years, that award brought prominent figures from culture, politics, art, entertainment, and sports to Serrone, putting the small mountain village on the map across Italy.

Who was Giancarlo Flavi

The award is named after Giancarlo Flavi, a journalist and native of Serrone who was the driving force behind the Rocca d'Oro. A traditional reporter of integrity with a deep knowledge of the territory, Flavi was a co-founder of Radio Centro Else (R.C.E.) in 1977, an station that became a training ground for young journalists. After his experience with the prestigious Fiuggi Award, he created the Rocca d'Oro, linking his hometown to a national and international stage for three decades. In 2026, the Municipality of Serrone dedicated a square and an avenue to him at the foot of the Rocca dei Colonna, the ancient fortress overlooking the village.

Environment and journalism: the award's theme

This new event shifts the focus to the relationship between information and environmental protection. The theme of the first edition, «Landscape Ecology», explored how journalism and innovation can safeguard the beauty of Italy's small towns. A special mention, «Communicating the Territory», honors those who portray provinces as hubs of culture and biodiversity. The winners are selected by a high-profile jury chaired by General Carlo Felice Corsetti, alongside journalists Fabio Morabito and Daniele Flavi and Professor Marcello Trento.

How the event unfolds

The award day is divided into two parts in the historic center of Serrone: the official ceremony at the Rocca dei Colonna park viewpoint, attended by municipal and local authorities, and the awards presentation at Parco San Rocco, accompanied by live musical interludes. The awards themselves have a green soul: sculptures made from recycled materials by local artist Simona Morelli, accompanied by bottles of Cesanese del Piglio, the great DOCG red wine of these hills.

Serrone, the balcony of Ciociaria

Attending the award is also the perfect opportunity to discover Serrone, a village of just over three thousand inhabitants perched on the slopes of Monte Scalambra, at an altitude of over 700 meters, between the Sacco Valley and the Ernici Mountains. From the Rocca dei Colonna viewpoint, the view sweeps across the Cesanese valley, while the town is well-known to free-flight enthusiasts for its paragliding and hang-gliding take-off points. We are in the Lazio Region, about an hour from Rome, in a land where wine, festivals, and folk traditions still define the community calendar.

An event destined to grow

The first edition on June 14, 2026, saw a massive turnout from the public and institutions, with the stated goal of making the award a permanent fixture of the Serrone summer: a way to keep the memory of Giancarlo Flavi alive while rewarding those who defend the environment and Italy's small villages every day.