For the Love of Words: ‘Testo’ 2026

 

Hosted by the Stazione Leopolda from February 27 – March 1 , “Testo” is a literary fair is designed for lovers of the written word and publishing (hours 10 – 8 pm, admission: €10 for one day, cumulative ticket €18 for all three days, available on site or online; tram line stop: Porta a Prato/Leopolda).

“Creative Inspiration” is the theme of this year’s festival, explored by the exhibitors at “Testo” including 180 authors and 165 publishing houses, 30 bookshop partners, editors and literary agents at individual stands or during seminars and panel discussions.  Additionally, there are seven dedicated sections designed to unveil all aspects of book publishing: The Manuscript, The Cover, The Logo, The Story, the Translation, the Bookshop and the Reader.  The presentations at these sections have been planned by publishers, writers, translators,  photographers and bookshop proprietors, concretely expressing the concept of full immersion into each subject examined.

The set-up, designed to facilitate browsing, is also interspersed with open spaces to encourage meetings and conversations, with a special invitation extended by the organizers of “Testo” to bookclubs.

A designated area, “Sala Officina Bazlen” offers a three day program. The first, on February 27, spotlights editors and publishers of international magazines; the second, on February 28, focuses on practical aspects of communication, from podcasting; use of human editors and translators vs AI (artificial intelligence); book illustration; literary networks; and the discovery of up-and-coming talents in world of literature.  The latter theme is further nurtured on March 1, a day dedicated to literary agents and editors, who will be on hand to listen to writers who have interesting book proposals and/or who wish to publish their manuscripts.

International guests at “Testo” include: Iranian-Dutch writer Kader Abdolah; Irish novelist Michelle Gallen; Carlos Magdalena, author of botanist who oversees the Tropical Nursery of Kew Gardens and the author of The Plant Nursery; Lisa Ridzén, a sociologist who documented the cult machismo among the inhabitants of extreme northern Sweden; Carlo Tetsugen Serra, whose publications concentrate on Zen Buddhism; French writer Hervé Tullet, specialized in children’s literature; and the Korean best-selling author Ysra.

Tribute events are on the schedule to honor literary giants of the past, including American novelist Richard Yates (“Revolutionary Road”), French writer and journalist Colette, French playwright and novelist Jean Genet, Italian poet and screenwriter Pier Paolo Pasolini and the American author J.D. Salinger, the latter to honor the 75th anniversary of the publication of “Catcher in the Rye.”  Prato’s Luigi Pecci Contemporary Art Center will be exhibiting the archive of Italian art critic Lara Vinca Masini, an important figure in her field.

Local libraries and archives–the Gabinetto Vieusseux, Florence’s first international lending library, located in Palazzo Strozzi; the National Central Library (Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale), the Kunsthistorisches Institut and the French Institute Library–have created events for “Testo.” Specifically, on February 27, the public is invited to the Gabinetto Vieusseux to participate in three guided visits of the Contemporary Archives (9:30 am, 11 am and and 12:30 pm) where the works of Pasolini, Pratolini and the long-time Florence resident and composer Dallapiccola are stored, hear a talk on the 20th century prize-winning Italian author Natalia Ginzburg (Sala Ferri, 3 pm), and to see the current exhibition on the poet Mario Luzi.  The National Central Library is hosting an exhibition on the Olschki publishing house.