Le Piazze dei Libri

A widespread festival in the heart of Florence

Le Piazze dei Libri is the literary event that, every year at the start of summer, transforms the Tuscan capital into a vast open-air bookstore. Born in 2022 in Piazza dei Ciompi, the festival has gradually expanded its reach to include seven squares in Florence, spread across all five city districts, based on the concept of a decentralized culture that leaves traditional venues to meet citizens in their everyday spaces.

The seven squares of the festival

The meetings take place in iconic locations across the city and its neighborhoods: Piazza della Repubblica and Via de' Cerretani in the historic center, Piazza dei Ciompi (the historic square where it all began), Piazza delle Cure, Parco dell'Anconella along the Arno river, Piazza dell'Isolotto, and Piazza Dalmazia. This urban geography spans Florence from one end to the other, allowing residents in every area to participate in cultural life without needing to travel to the center.

Authors, bookstores, and widespread culture

The program alternates between book presentations, dialogues with authors, events dedicated to children, and meetings open to residents and visitors alike. Over the years, the festival has hosted numerous voices from the Italian literary and cultural scene, including Chiara Tagliaferri, Sandrone Dazieri, Sacha Naspini, Antonio Moresco, Tomaso Montanari, Guia Soncini, and Riccardo Nencini.

At the heart of the project is the promotion of independent bookstores and local publishing houses: each edition involves a network of Florentine bookshops and local publishers, who are key protagonists of the calendar alongside the guest authors.

A project for the city

Le Piazze dei Libri is promoted by Confartigianato Imprese Firenze as part of the Estate Fiorentina, the summer event calendar of the Municipality of Florence. The stated goal is to encourage reading, support independent bookstores, and bring culture back into the squares and neighborhoods, with the conviction that culture is a living energy capable of enhancing territories and creating connections between people.

Florence and the culture of Tuscany

Part of the rich calendar of events that enlivens Florence and Tuscany during the summer months, the festival offers residents and tourists a different way to experience the city: not through large museums, but through neighborhood squares, where reading becomes a moment of collective gathering. All events are free and take place mainly in the evening, generally from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM.