Premio Torre d'Argento

A recognition that speaks of roots

Cirigliano is one of the smallest municipalities in Basilicata, perched at over 600 meters above sea level in the province of Matera, dominated by the tower of the baronial castle. It is precisely from that tower that the Premio Torre d'Argento (Silver Tower Award) is inspired, established in 1990 by the local Pro Loco (local tourism board) to celebrate the women and men of Lucania who have brought prestige to their land.

Every year, in mid-August, the community gathers in Piazza IV Novembre, at the foot of the castle, for a gala evening that is both a village festival and a ceremony of recognition. The award does not focus on fame for its own sake: it favors stories of talent, hard work, and attachment to origins, honoring artists, entrepreneurs, journalists, artisans, and figures of civil engagement.

The evening

The script is the tried-and-tested format of great community evenings: greetings from institutions and the Pro Loco, portraits of the awardees told through words and video contributions, the presentation of the awards, and musical interludes that lighten and warm the atmosphere. Among the names awarded in recent editions are hospitality entrepreneurs, journalists, and Lucanian artists renowned well beyond regional borders.

Atmosphere

The strength of the Premio Torre d'Argento lies entirely in the affectionate disproportion between the size of the village and the ambition of its vision: a village of few souls that, for one summer evening, becomes a sounding board for Lucanian excellence. Under the starry sky of Matera's August, with the illuminated castle as a backdrop, the square fills with residents, returning emigrants, and curious visitors.

Cirigliano and its context

Organized by the Pro Loco of Cirigliano with the support of the Municipality, the award is also an opportunity to discover an authentic village in the Lucanian Dolomites, far from mass tourist circuits, where the community dimension is still alive and the connection with the land is not rhetoric but a daily experience.