Visioni City Festival

A literary festival at the foot of the Ducal Castle

The Visioni City Festival is a cultural event that has been enlivening Sessa Aurunca—a town in the northern Caserta area of Campania, just a few kilometers from the Lazio border and the Domitian coast—for several summers. The heart of the festival is Piazza Castello, the square opening up at the base of the Ducal Castle. This is where the main stage for the evening events is set up, while the Ducal Castle Library hosts more intimate gatherings, exhibitions, and workshops. Established in 2024 by the Municipality of Sessa Aurunca in partnership with the Neapolitan publishing house Homo Scrivens, the festival is under the artistic direction of Aldo Putignano.

History and storytelling as the common thread

The subtitle chosen from the very first edition, imagining the past to build the future, perfectly captures the festival's approach: history is not just a subject for textbooks, but a narrative that helps us interpret the present. This philosophy guides the selection of guests, blending fiction, historical non-fiction, journalism, and civic engagement. In its first two editions, the Piazza Castello stage has welcomed Antonio Scurati, Maurizio de Giovanni, Viola Ardone, Marino Bartoletti, Aldo Cazzullo, Moni Ovadia, Ferruccio De Bortoli, and Walter Veltroni, among others.

What to expect in the program

• Book presentations and author talks, featuring numerous publishing houses, many of which are based in Campania; the inaugural edition brought together nineteen publishers for about fifteen presentations.
• Evening performances, ranging from the Neapolitan comedy of Gino Rivieccio and Pino Imperatore to spoken-word and musical theater, in a format that balances intellectual depth with lighthearted entertainment.
• Exhibitions hosted within the castle, dedicated to the student movements of the 1960s and 70s, social photography, and works created during comic book workshops.
• Civic discussions, such as the day dedicated to legality, featuring journalists, representatives of humanitarian organizations, and local groups committed to the repurposing of confiscated assets.
• Activities for schools and young people, including manga and comic book workshops held in collaboration with the Scuola Italiana di Comix and a section of the literary competition reserved for those under 21.

The Visioni Literary Competition

Central to the festival is a national short story competition dedicated to Gaius Lucilius, the Latin satirist born in Suessa Aurunca. Entries must be in Italian, between 8,000 and 15,000 characters (including spaces), and focus on historical or contemporary themes. The winner receives a prize of 1,000 euros, with two additional awards of 200 euros and a 200-euro prize for the best story by an author under 21. The ten finalists are published as an e-book by Homo Scrivens, and the awards ceremony traditionally concludes the final day of the event.

A free, community-focused event

One of the hallmarks of the Visioni City Festival is that it is free of charge. In all editions held so far, admission to all events has been free, including guided tours of the National Archaeological Museum of Sessa Aurunca included in the program. The formula has proven successful: the second edition drew hundreds of people from across the province of Caserta and the rest of Campania, with turnout that the municipal administration has highlighted as a sign of a vibrant city.

The setting: Sessa Aurunca in summer

Piazza Castello is the natural stage for the Sessa summer and also hosts, in the following weeks, the events of Sessa Jazz, the town's historic music festival. Those choosing to stay for a few days can combine the festival with a visit to the historic center and the National Archaeological Museum, or quickly reach the sea of the Gulf of Gaeta and the villages of the nearby Roccamonfina Regional Park.