16th International Festival Dantesco

Testo in italiano

The 16th International Edition of Festival Dantesco will take place from March 15 to 30, 2026. Established in 2010, this cultural event aims to promote a dialogue between Art and Dante’s work through theatrical and cinematographic productions, exhibitions, meetings, contests, artistic residences, roundtables and social media broadcasts.

Reaching its 24th edition (after 15 national and international editions, 3 university editions, 4 Tuscany-based editions and 1 Lazio-based edition), this year the Festival will continue to offer a wide range of activities, some of which will coincide with “DanteDì”, the 25th of March, the National Italian Day to honor Dante and his work.

From North to South, events will be hosted in Varese, Como, Saluzzo, Padova, Colleferro and Taranto. The central event will take place on the 21st March, at Teatro Palladium in Rome.

As per usual, both traditional Competitions will be back:

– the School Competition, for students aged from 2 to 20;

– the University Competition, for artists aged from 21 to 30, representing Universities and Academies.

Prospective contestants should submit works inspired by Dante which will compete in the Theatre section (short theatrical exhibitions), in the Cinema section (short films), or in the Photography section (a single photo or a portfolio of up to 5 photos).

For further information, please refer to the Competition Guidelines.

Sponsored by Società Dante Alighieri since its first edition, the Festival has also been supported throughout the years by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Education and Merit, Comitato Dante 2021, the Italian Association of Libraries, Roma Tre University, University of Milan, as well as various private and public institutions.

Artists and academics who have supported Festival Dantesco over the years include Massimo Popolizio, Pupi Avati, Isabella Ferrari, Giulio Ferroni, David Riondino, Isabella Russinova and Luca Serianni.

Ensuring scientific rigor is Maurizio Fiorilla, Full Professor of Philology and Dante Studies at Roma Tre University, who serves as the Festival’s Scientific Director.

Video highlights of all Festival activities can be found on its YouTube channel, which in 2024 surpassed 100.000 views.

The Artistic Director is Paolo Pasquini.