Readers' Festival

The Readers' Festival in San Giovanni Rotondo

The Readers' Festival is a major widespread event promoted by the Presìdi del Libro Association, which every autumn involves over fifty municipalities in Puglia and numerous other Italian regions. In San Giovanni Rotondo, a town in the Province of Foggia famous worldwide as a pilgrimage destination linked to Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, the event is organized by the local chapter together with the Provo.Cult Club, with the patronage of the Municipality.

A community gathering around books

In the heart of the Gargano, the Festival transforms libraries, association headquarters, and city spaces into meeting places where reading becomes a collective ritual. Aloud readings, book clubs, workshops, and dialogues with authors: the program weaves together cultural reflection and conviviality, with the goal of bringing young people, students, and families closer to the pleasure of reading.

A regional and national event

Supported by the Puglia Region, the Readers' Festival was born from a network of volunteers and passionate readers who every year interpret a common theme through hundreds of activities across the territory. The event has surpassed twenty editions, a sign of its deep roots in Puglian cultural life and its close bond with local schools and libraries.

The 2025 edition dedicated to Jane Austen

The 21st edition, in October 2025, paid tribute to the 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen with a series of meetings exploring literature, women's journalism, and the history of costume, confirming the Festival's vocation to combine great classics with contemporary perspectives, under the national theme "Modern Times: fragility, desire, transformations."

Why attend

• Meetings with writers, journalists, and scholars
• Readings and presentations with free and open access
• An intimate and participatory atmosphere, far from large commercial festivals
• The opportunity to discover San Giovanni Rotondo and the Gargano in autumn

The dates for the 2026 edition have not yet been announced: the Readers' Festival is traditionally held in October, and the event is expected in the same period in San Giovanni Rotondo as well.