Oilà Festival

A festival dedicated to the women of the 20th century

The Oilà Festival is a cultural project promoted in Rome by the Fondazione Fondamenta E.T.S. and supported by Roma Capitale through the Roma Creativa 365. Cultura tutto l'anno public call. This is a biennial initiative through which the Capitoline Administration, via Zètema Progetto Cultura, allocates over 8.5 million euros to widespread cultural programming across all city districts, from the historic center to the suburbs, for the 2025-2026 period. The project achieved a score of 71 out of 100 in the Section 1A rankings.

The roots: the Oilà series

The festival's name draws from the series Oilà. Biografie brevi di donne irriverenti (Oilà. Short biographies of irreverent women), published by Electa and edited by Chiara Alessi. The series collects concise portraits of female figures from the Italian and international creative scene of the 20th century: from design to fashion, architecture to music, illustration to graphic design, and photography to literature. Each volume is designed to be read aloud from start to finish in about forty-five minutes, a short format that has made these books particularly suitable for public readings and live events.

The title, seemingly playful, derives from a line in the popular song La lega, which later entered the repertoire of the 'mondine' (rice weeders): a reference that says much about the tone of the series, which is both ironic and combative. Among the protagonists featured are names such as Elsa Schiaparelli, Goliarda Sapienza, Rossana Rossanda, Rosa Genoni, Eva Mameli Calvino, and Elena Gianini Belotti.

Who organizes it

The Fondazione Fondamenta was established by Electa to mark the publishing house's eightieth anniversary. Its name pays homage to the Fondamenta festival, conceived in Venice by writer Daniele Del Giudice between 1999 and 2003, which brought authors and artists from all over the world to the lagoon. Today, the foundation focuses on arts and cultural education, organizes festivals and meetings for institutions and local bodies, and supports both public and private cultural entities. Its recent projects include exhibitions and lecture series dedicated to Bernardo Bertolucci, Ettore Sottsass, and Wangechi Mutu.

Roma Creativa 365 and the Municipio II

The festival is part of the plan by which Roma Capitale aims to distribute culture throughout the year, rather than just during the summer season. The project's territorial focus is Municipio II, the area encompassing the Parioli, Salario, Trieste, Nomentano, and Pinciano districts—a part of the capital rich in cultural institutes, libraries, foreign academies, and university spaces, which has become fertile ground for literary festivals and author talks in recent years.

What to expect

Consistent with the project's editorial roots, the festival is conceived as a celebration of the spoken word: readings, dialogues, and in-depth discussions built around the biographies of women from the last century and their legacy in the creative disciplines. It is an initiative that speaks to those interested in non-fiction, design, and cultural history, but also to a wider audience, thanks to the brevity and accessibility of the format that inspired it.

Information under update

As of today, the detailed calendar and the venue for the meetings have not yet been publicly released by the organization. However, the project is formally included among those funded for the 2025-2026 biennium in the Lazio region, in the city of Rome. We recommend following the Fondazione Fondamenta channels to learn about dates, locations, and guests as soon as they are announced.