Campania Libri Festival 2026: the program, guests, and unmissable events

The Campania Libri Festival 2026 returns to Naples from October 1st to 4th with four days dedicated to books, authors, publishing, and culture. The fifth edition of the event will take place primarily at the Palazzo Reale, the Vittorio Emanuele III National Library, and the Giardino Romantico , with over 200 meetings, 126 exhibitors, and 13 thematic itineraries.

The theme chosen for this edition is "Jesce sole ," an ancient propitiatory chant from the Neapolitan tradition. The festival thus pays homage to Roberto De Simone and the fiftieth anniversary of the first performance of La gatta Cenerentola , one of the most representative works of his exploration of popular culture and the musical tradition of Campania.

Campania Libri Festival 2026: When and where it takes place

The Campania Libri Festival 2026 is scheduled for Thursday, October 1st to Sunday, October 4th . The Palazzo Reale will be the heart of the event, with publishers' stands spread across the building's historic courtyards, while meetings will also be held in the rooms of the Vittorio Emanuele III National Library.

The festival will be open:

• October 1, 2 and 4: from 10 to 21;
• 3 October from the 10 22.

Admission to the meetings is free and open to all, subject to availability . Reservations are required for some evening performances at the Teatro di Corte.

To reach the Royal Palace by public transport, you can use the Metro Line 1 , getting off at the Municipio or Toledo stops, or the Central Funicular, getting off at the Augusteo stop.

The program of the Campania Libri Festival 2026

The Campania Libri Festival 2026 program focuses on the intersection of literature and other forms of culture. In addition to book presentations, the program includes meetings, lectures, workshops, performances, and events dedicated to the world of publishing.

Confirmed courses include poetry, cinema, history, literary criticism, noir, philosophy, translation, geopolitics, and theater , in addition to sections dedicated to children and young adults, Heretics, and Spirituality. The 2026 edition also introduces Romance , with a space dedicated to sentimental fiction and its community.

A particularly central focus will be the program dedicated to Cinderella the Cat , with several events focusing on Roberto De Simone's work. Also planned are discussions on ancient fairy tales, staged readings, and insights into the relationship between folk tradition, music, theater, and literature.

Among the most special events is also “Literary Help/5cents” , inspired by the famous Lucy's banquet in Peanuts : the writer Giulio Mozzi will meet aspiring authors ready to submit narrative ideas, novels, short stories or poetry collections.

Guests of the Campania Libri Festival 2026

The program brings together numerous writers, journalists, artists, and figures from Italian and international culture.

Among the Italian names present are Mario Martone, Erri De Luca, Diego De Silva, Franco Arminio, Maria Grazia Calandrone, Antonella Cilento, Giancarlo De Cataldo, Antonio Franchini, Dario Voltolini, Lorenza Gentile, Patrizia Rinaldi, Christian Raimo, Fumettibrutti, Anna Pavignano and Laura Morante.

There is no shortage of exponents from the world of philosophy, science and information, including Stefano Mancuso, Massimo Cacciari, Pietro Grasso and Myrta Merlino , as well as numerous other protagonists of the programme.

Among the events promoted by the Campania Region is a dialogue between Mario Martone and Culture Councilor Ninni Cutaia , scheduled for Sunday, October 4th at 12:30 PM. Stefano Mancuso will instead deliver a lecture dedicated to the relationship between humanity and nature.

The festival also maintains a strong international dimension. Among the announced international guests are Santiago Gamboa, Edurne Portela, José Ovejero, Aixa de la Cruz, Lidija Dimkovska, Hajar Azell, Judith Hermann, Martin Rueff, Anna Kańtoch, and Ann Cotten , all of whom are involved thanks to collaborations with several European cultural institutes.

Events not to be missed

Among the many events of the Campania Libri Festival 2026 , some strands deserve particular attention.

Cinderella the Cat's 50th Anniversary

This is probably the most defining theme of this year's edition. The festival dedicates several events to Roberto De Simone and his work, starting with the fiftieth anniversary of the first performance of La gatta Cenerentola.

The program includes insights, staged readings, and meetings that allow you to reinterpret the work through literature, theater, music, and Neapolitan folk tradition.

The new Romance Corner

One of the new features for 2026 is the section dedicated to Romance , designed to reach a particularly active audience also on digital communities dedicated to reading.

The Romance Corner will be set up in the Belvedere Courtyard , while the Grand Regency Ball of the Corner Romance Book Party will take place at the Court Theatre , organised in collaboration with SEV Management.

Events dedicated to cinema

The relationship between books and cinema will be another of the festival's underlying themes. The program, curated by the Campania Film Commission, includes meetings with leading figures in the national film scene, including Enrico Vanzina and Edoardo De Angelis.

Geopolitics, history and current events

For those seeking current affairs encounters, the festival offers courses dedicated to geopolitics and history.

The Geopolitics section includes contributions by Goffredo Buccini, Vittorio Amato, Paolo Benanti, Luigi Daniele, Elena Testi, Simone Pieranni, and Vittorio Parsi , with a discussion with historian Andrea Graziosi. The historical section, curated by Carmine Pinto, explores the history of the Neapolitan monarchies through the theme "The Days of Kings. The Rise and Fall of the Sovereigns of Naples . "

Noir and children's literature

There is no shortage of events dedicated to the noir genre, with Barbara Perna, Valerio Varesi, Orso Tosco and Luca Crovi , while the Kids and Young Adult itineraries bring children and adolescents back to the centre of the event.

Workshops and activities designed to introduce younger readers to books and writing are also planned for families.

A festival also for those who want to discover new publishers

The Campania Libri Festival is more than just a series of meetings with renowned authors. One of the event's key elements is the presence of publishers, with stands located throughout the monumental courtyards of the Royal Palace.

The official program features 126 exhibitors and over 100 publishing houses. The festival thus also offers an opportunity to seek out lesser-known titles, meet small publishers, and discover catalogs that rarely find space in larger bookstores.

Campania Libri Festival 2026: the complete program

With over 200 meetings spread across four days, the Campania Libri Festival 2026 program is particularly broad and includes events for virtually every type of reader: from fiction to poetry, from noir to history, from cinema to geopolitics, all the way to children's literature and the new Romance area.

The complete schedule, including times and locations, is available on the festival's official website.

For book lovers, the appointment is therefore from 1 to 4 October 2026 in Naples , with Palazzo Reale and the National Library ready to transform for four days into a large space dedicated to reading, authors and cultural exchange.