Giovanni Boccaccio Literary Prize

A prize that engages with the Decameron

The Giovanni Boccaccio Literary Prize is the premier cultural event in Certaldo, located in the province of Florence in the heart of the Tuscan Valdelsa. Established in 1982 and promoted by the Giovanni Boccaccio Literary Association with the support of the Municipality of Certaldo and the Tuscany Region, the prize was created to bring the message of the great 14th-century author into the present, using reading and cultural exchange as tools for reflection and civic development.

Certaldo, the village of Boccaccio

There could be no more symbolic setting: Certaldo Alto, with its terracotta alleys and the poet's house-museum on Via Boccaccio, is the village where Giovanni Boccaccio spent his final years and died in 1375. Every September, the memory of the author of the Decameron comes alive in an event that unites the roots of Italian literary tradition with the communicative challenges of today.

Award categories

The main recognition is awarded to writers, journalists, and prominent figures in culture and communication, fostering a dialogue between generations, memories, and visions. Over the years, the prize has opened its doors to ever-evolving languages, from fiction and journalism to singer-songwriter music.

• Literature Prize
• Journalism Prize
• Ethics in Communication Prize
• Boccaccio Giovani, a competition reserved for Italian high school students, with the best short stories collected in the Piccolo Decameron anthology

The ceremony at the Teatro Boccaccio

The heart of the event is the awards ceremony at the Teatro Multisala Boccaccio in Certaldo, which is open to the public and enriched by readings, musical performances, and portraits dedicated to the winners. In recent years, the event has expanded beyond the theater walls, with screenings on a giant screen in Piazza Boccaccio and thousands of viewers connected via streaming, a sign of a festival now capable of speaking to a national audience.

A weekend of culture in the Valdelsa

The awards ceremony is the centerpiece of an entire weekend of events: book presentations, theatrical readings, and dialogues on pressing topics such as peace, information, and contemporary society, featuring guests from the worlds of culture, sports, music, and spirituality. A visit to the Boccaccio Prize is also the perfect opportunity to discover Certaldo and its surroundings, nestled among hills, Chianti vineyards, and the medieval villages of the province of Florence.