In an age when literary festivals often compete for the same audiences and authors, Sambuca di Sicilia—the enchanting hilltop town crowned Italy’s Most Beautiful Village in 2016—has chosen a different path. Rather than creating another weekend event, it launched an ambitious cultural project that unfolds over three months, transforming its historic streets into a vibrant forum for literature, journalism, history and civic debate.
Running from 14 July to 20 September 2026, the inaugural edition of Zabook – Il Borgo che legge (“The Village that Reads”) has already established itself as one of Sicily’s most compelling new cultural initiatives, placing books at the heart of contemporary public discourse.
Designed and directed by journalist Franco Nuccio, the festival is promoted by the Municipality of Sambuca di Sicilia under the leadership of Mayor Giovanna Casà, in collaboration with Strada degli Scrittori, Unitre, Fondazione Sicana, Sicilbanca, Strada del Vino delle Terre Sicane, Città del Vino, and under the patronage of the Regional Order of Journalists of Sicily.
Rather than celebrating literature as an isolated cultural experience, Zabook uses books as a lens through which to understand today’s world.
Where literature meets current affairs
The festival programme brings together journalists from Italy’s leading newspapers, celebrated novelists, historians, civil rights activists and public intellectuals. Themes range from organised crime and Sicily’s identity to migration, international conflicts, political power, justice and collective memory.
Most encounters take place every evening at 6:30 p.m. in the elegant courtyard of Palazzo Panitteri, the historic seat of the municipality, before expanding across the entire village during the closing weekend with a literary fair that transforms Sambuca itself into an open-air cultural stage.
A strong opening rooted in truth and memory
Zabook opened on 14 July with renowned TG5 journalist Carmelo Sardo, who presented his latest book, L’ultima estate di un uomo per bene. The event explored the tragic story of Giuseppe Tragna, a bank manager whose murder was long overshadowed by false accusations before he was officially recognised as an innocent Mafia victim decades later.
T
he opening evening immediately defined the festival’s identity: literature as an instrument of historical truth and civic responsibility.
On 29 July, investigative journalist Attilio Bolzoni, one of Italy’s foremost experts on organised crime, captivated audiences with Immortali, a powerful reflection on the Mafia’s transformation in the decades following the assassinations of Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino.
The first week of August continued with Giuseppe Cerasa, former editor at La Repubblica, who on 2 August presented Sipario Siciliano, an autobiographical journey through journalism, memory and Sicily’s complex social landscape.
The programme continues
The next event, scheduled for 23 August, will welcome Marco Galluzzo, political correspondent for Corriere della Sera, presenting Berlusconi Confidential, an insider’s account of a decade spent following one of Italy’s most influential and controversial political figures.
On 29 August, celebrated writer and journalist Gaetano Savatteri, whose novels inspired the successful television series Makari, will present La Sicilia non esiste, an exploration of the many identities that coexist beneath Sicily’s myths and stereotypes.
Literature as memory
One of the festival’s most significant evenings will take place on 5 September, focusing on the legacy of Judge Paolo Borsellino and the victims of the Via D’Amelio massacre.
Journalist Giovanna Cucè and civil rights activist Nadia Furnari will present Rita Atria, la settima vittima di via D’Amelio, recounting the tragic story of the young Mafia witness who died by suicide only days after Borsellino’s assassination.
The evening will also feature Mari Albanese’s Cinque vite, dedicated to the five police officers who lost their lives protecting the anti-Mafia magistrate.
Migration, justice and human dignity
Another highly anticipated event is scheduled for 11 September, when Alaa Faraj and Alessandra Sciurba will present Perché ero ragazzo.
The book tells the remarkable true story of a young Libyan football player who crossed the Mediterranean hoping to pursue a professional career in Europe, only to be wrongly convicted as a human smuggler. After years of legal battles and the tireless advocacy of Alessandra Sciurba, he was eventually granted a presidential pardon.
It is a deeply moving reflection on migration, justice and human dignity.
A grand finale celebrating Sicilian publishing
The festival will conclude on 19 and 20 September with La Strada del Libro, a two-day celebration of Sicilian publishing that will transform Sambuca into an open-air literary village.
Among the featured authors will be Lorenzo Tondo, The Guardian’s Italy correspondent, presenting Trame di guerra, alongside Costanza DiQuattro, Giosuè Calaciura, Francesco Terracina, Gian Mauro Costa and Davide Camarrone.
One of the highlights will be the evening of 19 September, when Palermo Chief Prosecutor Maurizio De Lucia and investigative journalist Salvo Palazzolo will present La mafia che cambia, examining the evolution of organised crime in contemporary Italy.
Acclaimed novelist Nadia Terranova will be the special guest of the evening.
The festival will close on 20 September with journalist Felice Cavallaro, presenting Francesca, his biography of magistrate Francesca Morvillo, wife of Giovanni Falcone and herself a victim of the Capaci bombing. The evening will conclude with a screening of the feature film Francesca e Giovanni, starring Ester Pantano.
A festival rooted in community
Mayor Giovanna Casà describes Zabook as more than a literary event.
“Our hope is that Zabook will grow over the years and become a permanent cultural landmark. We like the idea of a festival spread throughout Sambuca—its squares, courtyards, open-air theatres and panoramic terraces—transforming the entire village into a place of dialogue, encounter and culture open to everyone.
It will be an opportunity for enrichment not only for those born and raised here, but also for the growing international community that has chosen Sambuca as a place to live or spend part of the year.
Whoever comes to Sambuca will discover much more than a festival—they will find an open and welcoming community looking confidently toward the future.”
Festival founder Franco Nuccio explains the philosophy behind the project.
“Zabook was created with a clear identity: a festival capable of telling the story of Sicily—its lights and its shadows—through the voices of leading writers, nationally respected journalists, engaged intellectuals and authoritative public figures.
Another point of pride is that Zabook is entirely self-produced and self-funded, without public financial support. It exists thanks to volunteers and the commitment of local institutions, associations and businesses that believe in this project.”
More than a literary festival
Even in its inaugural edition, Zabook has demonstrated remarkable ambition and coherence. Rather than relying solely on bestselling authors, it has created a space where journalism, literature, historical memory and civic engagement intersect.
Set against the breathtaking backdrop of one of Sicily’s most beautiful historic villages, the festival offers visitors something increasingly rare: thoughtful conversations, meaningful encounters and an opportunity to understand contemporary Italy through the voices of some of its finest writers and journalists.
As the programme moves into its final weeks, Zabook is already proving that a literary festival can be much more than a cultural event—it can become a meeting place where books inspire dialogue, strengthen communities and help shape a more informed society.
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