UmbriaLibri 2026: The Golden Bough brings stories to Perugia and Terni
From 16 to 18 October in Perugia and 20 to 22 November in Terni, the thirty-second edition led by Nicola Lagioia connects fiction, memory and imagination. Preview events, illustration and emerging writers broaden the programme.
A festival can be a threshold: somewhere to enter a story and leave with a new question. UmbriaLibri embraces this idea for its thirty-second edition, titled Il ramo d’oro — The Golden Bough — with Nicola Lagioia as artistic director. Its main dates are 16–18 October 2026 in Perugia and 20–22 November in Terni.
A key to crossing into stories
The title evokes the branch that allows Aeneas to enter the world of the dead, alongside James George Frazer’s exploration of myths. Literature becomes a passage between memory, imagination and knowledge, bringing readers closer to experiences that can be difficult to express.
The announced guests reflect this range. They include Jonathan Bazzi, Luca Bianchini, Giancarlo De Cataldo, Diego De Silva, Donatella Di Pietrantonio, Claudia Durastanti, Anna Foa, Fumettibrutti, Vittorio Lingiardi and Francesca Mannocchi. Also on the programme are Antonio Manzini, Dacia Maraini, Giordano Meacci, Paolo Nori, Telmo Pievani, Sylvain Piron, Christian Raimo, Fabio Stassi, Antonio Vassallo, Jean-Claude Maire Vigueur, Simona Vinci and Dario Voltolini. Check the official calendar for each event’s date and venue.
Perugia starts before the main weekend
From 10 to 15 October, preview events bring book presentations, poetry and family activities to the historic centre. Books from Umbrian publishers take a central role, offering a chance to discover local publishing before the main festival begins.
On Friday 16 October, Fabrizio Gifuni joins Nicola Lagioia at 9 pm at Teatro del Pavone for Pasolini, Moro, Tortora. Antibiografia di una nazione. Theatre and civic memory meet through three figures from Italian history.
Pinocchio, illustration and young readers
The exhibition 7 Matite per un Burattino presents seven illustrators’ interpretations of Pinocchio, selected through a Bologna Children’s Book Fair competition. It visits Biblioteca degli Arconi in Perugia on 15–18 October and Terni’s bct library on 19–22 November.
Perugia also hosts workshops led by Emma Lidia Squillari. Images and hands-on activities offer complementary routes into reading: discovering how an illustration takes shape can be another way to enter a book.
The Cesari Prize celebrates debuts
The ninth Severino Cesari Prize winner will be announced on Sunday 18 October at 11 am in Palazzo Graziani’s Sala delle Colonne. The shortlisted books are Perché ero ragazzo by Alaa Faraj, Sinnada by Maria Spissu Nilson and Latte by Marina Zucchelli.
Alongside established voices, this focus on first books gives readers an opportunity to discover a writing journey that has only just begun.
The second stop and practical information
In November, the festival continues in Terni. Promoted by Regione Umbria, the initiative also involves local publishers and reading groups, creating encounters between authors, publishing catalogues and communities of readers.
The UmbriaLibri website lets visitors search events and consult individual listings. Times, locations and participation details may change, so check the updated official programme before attending. The links below lead to the programme and festival website.