Poetry Day

An evening of verses in the heart of Vitulazio

Poetry Day is the event with which the Municipality of Vitulazio has been opening its cultural summer for years. It is not a festival of large numbers or a program built around big-name celebrities: it is, quite simply, an evening where a village courtyard fills with voices reading poetry. The formula, repeated from one edition to the next, has built a small local tradition, so much so that the event is considered one of the most awaited highlights of the Vitulazio summer.

It is organized by the Associazione Pro Loco Vitulatina, which chooses a theme every year around which to build the entire evening. The verses are not entrusted to professional actors but to the voices of the participants: citizens, enthusiasts, and readers of all ages who take turns at the microphone, giving substance to the texts of great Italian and foreign poets. It is a simple and direct way to bring poetry out of school books and into the life of a community.

"Seasons": the theme of the 2026 edition

The fourteenth edition, which took place on Saturday, July 4, 2026, at 8:30 PM, chose the word "Seasons" as its guiding thread. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter are seen not only as moments of nature but also as metaphors for life: the passing of time, memories, hopes, and the changes that accompany every person. A deliberately broad theme, capable of holding together very different texts and leaving room for the sensitivity of those who read.

Surrounding the readings are music and evocative atmospheres, in a journey designed to be listened to outdoors, in the cool of a summer evening. The result is an evening that does not require any particular literary expertise from the audience: you arrive, sit down, and let yourself be guided by the words.

Palazzo Scialdone, the setting for the event

The venue for Poetry Day is Palazzo Scialdone, at via Lagnese 53, in the town center of Vitulazio. The historic building offers the event an intimate and recognizable setting, which is now part of the event's identity: those who live in the village immediately associate the palace with the poetry evening in early July. The limited capacity is a strength rather than a limitation, as it creates that proximity between reader and listener that is difficult to achieve in a theater or a large square.

The Pro Loco Vitulatina and the cultural life of the town

The Associazione Pro Loco Vitulatina is dedicated to the enhancement and promotion of the Vitulazio area through events, exhibitions, and shows dedicated to art, culture, and local traditions. Poetry Day is one of its longest-running and most defining projects: an appointment that does not need a large budget to work, but which manages to involve a loyal audience and a group of readers who return willingly every year.

Vitulazio, in the province of Caserta

Vitulazio is a municipality in the province of Caserta, in northern Campania, not far from Capua and the plains crossed by the Volturno river. It is a medium-sized town with a lively community life and a summer calendar marked by feasts, food festivals, and cultural initiatives. In this context, Poetry Day represents the most intimate note: no loud music, no stalls, just texts read aloud in front of those who want to listen.

Why it is worth attending

• A different theme every year, which makes each edition recognizable and never the same as the previous one
• Italian and international poetry, from classics to contemporary authors
• Intertwined music and readings, in a structure designed for the non-specialist public
• A historic setting, Palazzo Scialdone, in the heart of the town
• An open-air evening event, ideal for a July night in the Terra di Lavoro

Those passing through the province of Caserta in the first days of July will find an opportunity here that is different from the usual: not a food festival, not a concert, but an evening of shared words that tells a lot about how a Campanian community chooses to spend time together.