La Punta della Lingua – International Poetry Festival
The international festival of total poetry that has been igniting the Marche region for twenty years, based at the Mole Vanvitelliana in Ancona
About La Punta della Lingua
A festival of total poetry in the heart of Ancona
La Punta della Lingua is the main international poetry festival of the Marche region and one of the longest-running and most original poetry events in Italy. Organized by the Associazione di promozione sociale Nie Wiem (Social Promotion Association) and directed by poet Luigi Socci and critic Valerio Cuccaroni, since 2006 it has enlivened the Municipality of Ancona and various towns in the region every summer with its formula of total poetry: not just readings, but performances, shows, concerts, screenings, video poetry, slams, workshops, and poetic excursions.
The Mole Vanvitelliana, home of the festival
The beating heart of the event is the Mole Vanvitelliana in Ancona, the ancient pentagonal lazaretto overlooking the port: between the Sala Vanvitelli, the Corte della Mole, the Arena Cinema, The Mole, and the Lazzabaretto, the spaces of the Mole host most of the evening events. But the festival is also deeply itinerant: in its editions, it touches cities and villages in the Marche such as Jesi, Fermo, Grottammare, Recanati, Osimo, Offagna, and Portonovo, intertwining poetry with the landscapes and cultural sites of the territory.
Poets and artists from all over the world
In about ten days, La Punta della Lingua brings together dozens of Italian and foreign authors and artists, alternating major names in contemporary poetry with younger and more experimental voices. Over its twenty editions, the festival has hosted over nine hundred authors, building a constant dialogue between poetry, the web, theatre, music, and cinema. Alongside readings, there are special projects: the Premio Franco Scataglini / La poesia che si vede (Franco Scataglini Prize / Poetry You Can See), an international video poetry competition dedicated to the great dialect poet from Ancona, workshops for schools and children (the "Punta della Linguaccia"), writing residencies, and poetry paths in prisons.
A cultural heritage for the city and the region
La Punta della Lingua is a point of reference for the cultural life of the Province of Ancona and the entire Marche region, supported by the Municipality of Ancona and numerous partners. Almost all events are free admission (some with a symbolic ticket), a choice that makes poetry a shared and accessible asset. The festival is part of the path leading Ancona towards the role of Italian Capital of Culture, confirming itself as one of the most vibrant experiences on the national poetry scene.
La Punta della Lingua — edition 2026
The 21st edition of La Punta della Lingua, scheduled from June 27 to July 6, 2026, confirms the formula of total poetry with over 90 authors and artists in ten days of events between Ancona and the Marche region. The artistic direction remains by Luigi Socci and Valerio Cuccaroni for the Associazione Nie Wiem.
The 2026 edition is dedicated to the memory of the Ancona poet Franco Scataglini and celebrates the hundredth birthday of Lamberto Pignotti, a pioneer of visual poetry. The heart of the festival is the Mole Vanvitelliana in Ancona, with stops in Jesi, Fermo, Grottammare, Recanati, Osimo, Offagna, and Portonovo.
Programme La Punta della Lingua 2026
Previews — June
- June 3, 10, and 15 — Ancona: poetic itineraries and "Adopt the Author" with Mariangela Gualtieri
- June 20 — Grottammare Alta: "Marche of Poetry" and "Poetic Inventories" with Graziano Graziani
- June 21 — Recanati: visit to the Garden on the Hill of the Infinite, "Leopardi: the voice, nature, and poetry" with Roberto Galaverni and Umberto Piersanti, and Poetry Slam
June 27 — Ancona, Mole Vanvitelliana
- Opening with "The word that heals," the visual poetry installation "Beyond the Margin," and a performance by Lamberto Pignotti
- 9:45 PM — "Poetry You Can See," international video poetry competition (Franco Scataglini Prize)
June 28 — Jesi, Biblioteca Planettiana
- Meetings with Emidio Clementi, Elettra Stamboulis (graphic novel on Pasolini) and tribute to Andrea Pazienza; evening reading with Clementi and Corrado Nuccini
June 29 — Ancona, Mole Vanvitelliana
- 6:00 PM — Giuliana Giusti on the Ancona dialect; screening of the documentary on Franco Scataglini
- 9:30 PM — "Morricone plays Scataglini": unreleased pieces written by Ennio Morricone in 1994 on Scataglini's verses, with Giovanni Seneca on classical guitar and Giovanni Fontana on vocals (ticket €12)
June 30 — Offagna
- "Marche of Poetry" with Alessandra Cava, Barbara Coacci, and Renata Morresi; Rosaria Lo Russo on Anne Sexton; 9:30 PM — Haidar Al-Ghazali and poetry from Gaza, with a performance by Mervat Alramli
July 1 — Osimo
- 6:30 PM — poetic excursion with Alessandro Fo, Rosaria Lo Russo, and June Scialpi; 9:30 PM — "Catullus, one of us" with Alessandro Fo
July 2 — Ancona, Mole Vanvitelliana
- 5:00 PM — Roberto Mercadini on Galileo (The Mole); 6:30 PM — Jan Wagner and Federico Italiano, "Monsters & Herbariums"; 9:30 PM — "The Beauty of Words" with Roberto Mercadini (ticket €12)
July 3 — Ancona, Mole Vanvitelliana
- 7:00 PM — Michelle Steinbeck; 9:30 PM — "Ruvido umano" (Rough Human) by and with Mariangela Gualtieri, live music by Lemmo, directed by Cesare Ronconi (ticket €12); 11:00 PM — Marko Miladinović
July 4 — Ancona
- Under 35 workshop "Vivaria," "Punta della Linguaccia" for children, "Marche of Poetry" with Davide Nota and Daniele Ricci; 9:30 PM — concert by Serena Abrami (ticket €5); 11:00 PM — TEXT2TRAP set
July 5 — Ancona and Fermo
- Fermo, 9:30 PM — Lino Musella reads Mahmud Darwish, preceded by a poetic excursion
July 6 — Portonovo di Ancona, Church of Santa Maria
- 7:00 PM — Victoria Chang with musicians MIVERGOGNO; 9:30 PM — reading by Patrizia Valduga
Highlights La Punta della Lingua 2026
Prices La Punta della Lingua 2026
Practical information — La Punta della Lingua
Where
The festival's main venue is the Mole Vanvitelliana, Banchina Giovanni da Chio 28, in Ancona, with events also held in Jesi, Fermo, Grottammare, Recanati, Osimo, Offagna, and Portonovo.
How to get there
The Mole Vanvitelliana is located near the port of Ancona, a few minutes' walk from Ancona train station. By car, it can be reached from the Ancona Nord or Ancona Sud exit of the A14 motorway; by train, Ancona station is well-connected along the Adriatic line.
Tickets
Most events are free admission; some require a courtesy ticket of 3 euros, while the main evening shows have tickets ranging from 5 to 12 euros. Advance sales at liveticket.it and vivaticket.com.
Info
Full program and updates at www.lapuntadellalingua.it and email [email protected].
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Where does it take place — La Punta della Lingua
Mole Vanvitelliana
Banchina Giovanni da Chio 28, 60121 Ancona