A Growing Initiative
Since 2020, the Ministry of Culture has designated an Italian Book Capital annually. Last year, the title went to Taurianova, a small town in Calabria, which organized over 100 events and launched a new book fair. For 2025, the honor has been awarded to Subiaco, a municipality in the metropolitan city of Rome.
During this year’s award ceremony, the Minister of Culture, Alessandro Giuli, outlined the project’s purpose: “To celebrate Italian cities as driving forces of our civilization and reading as a tool for the development of knowledge.” The initiative has been gaining significance. “The number of applications was much higher than in previous years. This demonstrates that the theme of books is increasingly taking root in the social fabric,” noted the jury president, Gian Arturo Ferrari.
Six of the twenty cities that applied made it to the final round. Ferrari explained that the winner was selected based on two main criteria. On the one hand, the aim was to reward small and medium-sized towns, as larger cities already benefit from greater resources and opportunities. On the other hand, priority was given to Central and Southern Italy, where book distribution and reading habits are less widespread compared to the North.

Why Subiaco?
With just over 8,500 residents and a central location in Latium, Subiaco perfectly meets the jury’s criteria. Additionally, the city boasts a millennia-long book tradition. Between the 5th and 6th centuries, scribes in Subiaco’s monasteries were copying ancient manuscripts. It was also home to Italy’s oldest movable-type printing press, which produced the country’s first printed book in 1465, although this book has been lost.
The city’s proposed plan is titled Threshold of Paradise, borrowing the words Petrarch used to describe the Monastery of the Holy Sepulcher. With the funds it will receive from the Ministry of Culture, Subiaco plans numerous activities to bridge past and present. Among these is the recreation of the first book printed in Italy and the physical reconstruction of the historic printing press. The program also includes theatrical performances, collaborations between libraries, and “talking books” in public squares, with involvement from local schools.
Subiaco is also looking toward innovation, incorporating advanced audiovisual tools like WhatsArt into museum tours. The goal is to engage younger generations with a “cultural world often seen as dusty but capable of offering many stimuli and surprises,” as Giuli put it.
Mayor Domenico Petrini highlighted Subiaco’s strategic position during the Jubilee Year. Located just over an hour from Rome, the city can easily be included in pilgrims’ itineraries.
Read the Italian version here.