Books and Reading
"Parole a Sistema," a detail from the Puglia Region’s booth at the Turin Book Fair, 2023.
Since 2018, Puglia Culture has been implementing “Puglia: Parole a Sistema”a strategy to promote the Apulian publishing system on behalf of the PugliaRegion. The programme operates across multiple areas:
Coordinated participation of the regional publishing system in major nationaland international book fairs.Professional training for publishers in collaboration with AIE and ICE.Promotion of literary festivals and awards across the region.Partnerships with organisations such as CEPELL, ANCI, the Strega Prize,and the Turin Book Fair. Development of innovative tools for the bookindustry. International exchanges to showcase Apulian culture abroad.
Looking ahead, the strategy will continue to build on these initiatives, movingtowards a new era of innovation in cultural production.
The Fairs
A central element of the strategy is the coordinated participation of Apulianpublishers at major national and international book fairs. This represents oneof the most visible aspects of the regional programme.
Literary Festivals and Prizes
The Puglia Book Festival Network, the regional network of literary festivalsand book-related events, was first established in 2023 and expanded withnew members in 2024. In 2025, the Puglia Book Festival Network map isupdated with numerous new entries included in the Apulia Region’s UnifiedCultural Programme.
Illustration in Puglia
Since 2023, an open call for Apulian illustrators has produced a cataloguededicated to illustration in the region.
The first edition was previewed at the2023 Bologna Children’s Book Fair.
The Publishers
All editions of the catalogs that showcase the Apulian illustration scene through the artwork of the illustrators who responded to the calls for submissions.
Female and male illustrators
Here you can find a list of the illustrators who have participated in the calls for submissions from 2023 to the present.
Protocols
This year, the Puglia Region signed an agreement with the Maria and Goffredo Bellonci Foundation—which organizes and supports the Premio Strega—to host the 2025 Premio Strega Saggistica in Bari, an award won by Anna Foa.
The Publishers
Apulian publishers who respond to Puglia Culture’s calls participate in theApulia Region’s collective stand at various book fairs, representing theregional publishing system year after year.
- Books and Reading, Projects
