Lector in Terra Lecti Award

A festival that gives voice to books

The Lector in Terra Lecti Award is a literary and civic event held annually in Lettomanoppello, a small village in the Province of Pescara, in the heart of Abruzzo. For an entire day, the squares and alleys of the historic center turn into an open-air theater where readers of all ages take the stage to interpret, read, and reinterpret pages of great Italian and international literature.

The name of the award itself captures its soul: Lector in Terra Lecti, meaning "readers in the land of readers." Here, as the organizers love to remind us, words never stand still: they walk, meet, and transform, carried by the voices of the participants.

The readers' competition

The heart of the festival is a genuine competition between readers, divided into six age categories: from primary school students to young people, adults, and the "age of wisdom." Each category is assigned a reference title, and every contestant has a few minutes to bring the text to life through dramatic readings, artistic performances, and creative interpretations, whether individual or in groups.

The event rewards the most compelling readers with cash prizes for the purchase of books and cultural materials, as well as scrolls and certificates of participation, in a festive atmosphere that values the reader as an active and critical interpreter, never just a spectator.

Much more than a competition

Surrounding the competition is a rich program of cultural initiatives: theatrical performances, concerts, book presentations, and meetings with authors and guests from the world of culture. There is no shortage of entertainment and a popular festival atmosphere, with chalk artists, jugglers, flag-wavers, and street performers enlivening the town's squares.

The festival is promoted by the Fondazione Palazzo De Sanctis APS ETS together with the Officina dell'On. Luciano D'Alfonso, the Fondazione Europa Prossima, and the Pietrara Conviviale association. The event was created to honor the memory of Quintino D'Alfonso and his civic commitment, which is why it is also known as the Quintino Readers' Festival.

Lettomanoppello and Palazzo De Sanctis

The beating heart of the event is Palazzo De Sanctis, a historic residence recently restored that houses the Foundation's headquarters, while the readings animate Piazza Umberto I and the village streets. In just a few years, the Lector in Terra Lecti Award has become a defining event for Lettomanoppello and the entire Abruzzo region, capable of transforming squares into places of dialogue and making reading an authentic collective act.