Premio Bancarella

The booksellers' award, not the critics'

The Premio Bancarella is one of Italy's most cherished literary institutions, with a unique feature that sets it apart from all others: the winner is not chosen by a jury of critics or academics, but by an electoral college of independent booksellers scattered across the peninsula. These are the people who advise readers from behind the counter every day, choosing the book that has best captured the public's imagination throughout the year. For this reason, the Bancarella is considered the most authentic barometer of Italian readers' tastes.

Pontremoli, the City of the Book

The award takes place in Pontremoli, an elegant village in Lunigiana nestled between the Apennines and the Apuan Alps in the northernmost part of Tuscany, in the province of Massa-Carrara. This location is no coincidence: Pontremoli is the home of the librai ambulanti (itinerant booksellers), the famous book vendors who, since the 19th century, set off from here with their stalls to travel throughout Italy. The prize was born from this tradition in 1953 and is now organized by the Città del Libro Foundation in collaboration with the Unions of Pontremoli Booksellers and Stallholders.

How it works

Every year in spring, the finalist shortlist is announced: six works of fiction and non-fiction, published in Italy by both Italian and international authors, selected with the "Premio Selezione Bancarella" mark. From that moment, the booksellers of the electoral college—up to a maximum of three hundred—each cast three votes. The ballots are counted in a public session, in the presence of a notary, during the final evening in late July. The winning author receives the ceramic sculpture of Saint John of God, the patron saint of booksellers, which is the very symbol of the award.

A week of culture

The announcement of the winner is only the highlight of an entire Bancarella Week, during which Pontremoli comes alive with book presentations, meetings with authors, conferences, and literary debates hosted in the squares, historic municipal halls, and iconic spots of the town. For reading enthusiasts, it is an opportunity to immerse themselves in a village that lives for books, amidst its Baroque churches, the Piagnaro Castle, and the cobblestone streets of the historic center.

An unmissable event

Visiting Pontremoli during the Premio Bancarella means combining a passion for reading with the discovery of one of the most fascinating and less touristy areas of Tuscany. Lunigiana, a land of castles, Romanesque parish churches, and authentic gastronomic traditions like testaroli and sgabei, provides the backdrop for a festival that has celebrated books and book lovers for over seventy years.