Palmosa Fest – International Festival of Art and Literature

PalmosaFest in Castelvetrano

PalmosaFest is an International Festival of Art and Literature held in Castelvetrano, a city in the Belìce Valley in the province of Trapani, in the heart of western Sicily. The event, spread across autumn and winter, transforms the town's historic squares and palaces into a grand cultural open-air salon, where the written word engages with music, visual arts, and the local heritage.

A series of author encounters

The heart of the festival lies in its encounters with authors, which primarily take place in the Ex Convento dei Minimi. Writers, poets, journalists, and scholars present their works in dialogues open to the public, accompanied by readings, musical performances, and art exhibitions. Each edition revolves around a specific theme and dedication: beauty, understood as a regenerative force and a "light of civilization," is the common thread running through the programming.

Conception and direction

PalmosaFest was conceived by writer Bia Cusumano, who serves as artistic director, alongside cultural director and journalist Jana Cardinale. The festival is organized by the Palmosa-Kore association in collaboration with the Municipality of Castelvetrano and is part of the Trapani Literary Festival Network, benefiting from the support of the Center for Books and Reading of the Ministry of Culture as part of the "City that Reads" initiatives.

Castelvetrano and the Belìce Valley

Hosting a literary festival in Castelvetrano means rooting it in a territory of great historical and artistic depth: from the nearby Selinunte Archaeological Park to the rural identity of the Belìce Valley, scarred by the 1968 earthquake and capable of rebirth through culture. PalmosaFest highlights this bond by choosing the city's historic spaces as its stage and offering high-quality cultural programming in an area of Sicily often overlooked by major circuits.

A free-admission event

PalmosaFest events are free to attend and designed to bring a wide, intergenerational audience closer to reading. It is a precious opportunity for those visiting the province of Trapani who wish to combine the discovery of Sicilian heritage with high-level cultural discussions.