May Between Books and Memory

May Between Books and Memory, the literary festival of Castello di Cisterna

«May Between Books and Memory» is the literary festival organized by Pro Loco Castrum APS in Castello di Cisterna, a small town in the metropolitan city of Naples, in Campania. Born as a series of meetings with authors, the festival enlivens the town's cultural spaces between late May and early June — from the municipal library to civic spaces made available by the community — with book presentations, dialogues, and moments of reflection open to everyone.

A journey through history, society, and civil rights

The common thread of the festival is memory: the books presented address profound themes such as 20th-century history, human suffering and resilience, regime propaganda, civil rights, and the fight against racism. Each event is not a simple book launch, but a conversation between the author, moderators, and the public, designed to stimulate reading and debate on the great themes of our time.

Meetings with authors

The 2026 edition program featured several events in the town center, including:

• Angelo Amato De Serpis with «Ciliegie rosso sangue e il treno della morte» (Brignoli), a work dedicated to memory and testimony;
• Ferdinando Di Dato with «Lo specchio del fascismo. Propaganda, letteratura, arte, cinema e spettacolo» (Jonico Print);
• Filomena Carrella with «Louis Armstrong. La leggenda, la musica oltre il razzismo» (Iad Edizioni).

The meetings are accompanied by dialogues from moderators — local cultural figures — who expand the discussion from the written page to social and civil reality.

A community festival

The event is promoted by Pro Loco Castrum APS, an association active since 1998 that defines itself as a "sentinel of the territory," committed to enhancing local history, tradition, and folklore. The festival enjoys the support of the municipal administration of Castello di Cisterna and the collaboration of citizens and volunteers who provide spaces and skills. The stated goal is to transform the town into "a point of reference for dialogue between authors, readers, and the territory," making culture an engine for collective growth.

Castello di Cisterna, between Naples and Vesuvius

Located in the Vesuvius area east of Naples, Castello di Cisterna is a small town that, with initiatives like this festival, strives to carve out an active role in the cultural life of the province of Naples. «May Between Books and Memory» represents a piece of this commitment: an invitation to reading and conscious citizenship, with free admission, aimed at readers of all ages.