Parola per Parola Literary Festival
The literary festival in Belpasso featuring books, current affairs, art, and theatre
About Parola per Parola
A literary festival in the heart of Mount Etna
The Parola per Parola Literary Festival is the event that transforms Belpasso, a town on the slopes of Mount Etna in the province of Catania, into a vibrant crossroads of ideas, books, and stories every spring. Founded in 2024, the festival is organized by the Fondazione Carri di Santa Lucia in collaboration with the Pro Loco of Belpasso, with the patronage of the Municipality and the Sicilian Regional Assembly. The artistic direction is entrusted to journalist and sociologist Katya Maugeri, supported by an organizing committee that has successfully established a recognizable identity for the festival in just a few editions.
Literature, current affairs, art, and theatre
What sets Parola per Parola apart is its ability to go beyond the book: each edition bridges the written page with journalism, visual arts, and the theatre stage. Meetings with writers, reporters, and scholars alternate with exhibitions, readings, and a central theatrical performance. The festival willingly tackles challenging topics and contemporary themes such as gender-based violence, grief, memory, and identity, always with a special focus on engaging local schools and students.
Venues in Belpasso
The heart of the event is the Nino Martoglio Municipal Theatre, named after the famous playwright who has his roots in Belpasso, while exhibitions are hosted in local landmarks such as Palazzo Bufali. The various venues scattered throughout the town make the Etna-based municipality a widespread stage for four days.
The competition and Mail Art
Two initiatives are permanent fixtures of the festival: the literary competition open to authors (titled "Inspiration Between the Lines" in the 2026 edition) and an international Mail Art exhibition that collects works sent by artists from all over Italy and beyond. The award ceremony for the competition traditionally closes the event. The festival achieved significant recognition by being included in the national "Il Maggio dei Libri" calendar promoted by the Ministry of Culture.
A key appointment for Sicily
In just a few editions, Parola per Parola has become a reference point for reading enthusiasts in the province of Catania and throughout Eastern Sicily, capable of attracting prominent cultural and journalistic figures from both the island and the national scene within an intimate and participatory setting.
Parola per Parola — edition 2026
The third edition of Parola per Parola, titled "The Word That Resists", brought together literature, current affairs, art, and theatre in Belpasso, in the province of Catania. The festival addressed significant themes such as violence, grief, memory, and identity with great awareness, as highlighted by Mayor Carlo Caputo.
Highlights included the inauguration with Giovanni Iudice's painting ("Vedo dunque vivo", moderated by Daniele Lo Porto) and the international Mail Art exhibition, meetings with Giuseppe Dipasquale on Andrea Camilleri, with Mario Barresi from La Sicilia on artificial intelligence and journalism, the testimony of Vera Squatrito on femicide ("Io sono Giordana"), the dialogue with Silvana Grasso and Domenico Morabito, the meeting with Sarah Grisiglione, and the tribute to Tuccio Musumeci with Valerio and Claudio Musumeci. The festival concluded with the award ceremony for the "Inspiration Between the Lines" literary competition.
Programme Parola per Parola 2026
Opening
- Inauguration of the painting exhibition "Vedo dunque vivo" by Giovanni Iudice, moderated by Daniele Lo Porto
- Inauguration of the International Mail Art Exhibition
Literary and current affairs meetings
- Conversation on Andrea Camilleri with Giuseppe Dipasquale
- Meeting with Mario Barresi (deputy editor of La Sicilia): "Artificial intelligence vs natural deficiency"
- Testimony by Vera Squatrito on femicide, from the book "Io sono Giordana"
- Conference "Between pages and visions: literature meeting art" with Silvana Grasso and Domenico Morabito
- Meeting with Sarah Grisiglione on "Autopsia di un dolore"
- Dialogue on "Tuccio the eternal" with Valerio and Claudio Musumeci, a tribute to Maestro Tuccio Musumeci
Performances and initiatives
- Theatrical performance "È qui che comincia", written by Katya Maugeri and directed by Antonino Girgenti
- Performance "The Word That Resists" by the Redi Institute of Belpasso
- "Tribute to the Word": readings of great authors by Agata Longo, Giusi Cosentino, Gianni De Luca, and Orazio Magrì
Closing
- Award ceremony for the "Inspiration Between the Lines" literary competition
Highlights Parola per Parola 2026
Prices Parola per Parola 2026
Practical information — Parola per Parola
Where
Belpasso (CT), Sicily. The main venues are the Nino Martoglio Municipal Theatre and other locations in the town centre such as Palazzo Bufali.
When
The festival typically takes place in spring (April-May) over four days. The third edition was held from May 6th to 9th, 2026.
How to get there
Belpasso is located on the slopes of Mount Etna, about twenty kilometres from Catania, and is easily accessible by car via the A18/A19 motorway and the SS121 road. Catania-Fontanarossa Airport is the closest.
Admission
Festival meetings and events are generally free of charge. For updated details, it is recommended to follow the official festival Facebook page and the Belpasso Municipality website.
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Where does it take place — Parola per Parola
Teatro Comunale Nino Martoglio
Piazza Municipio, 95032 Belpasso