The announcement of the second edition of the Italia Radici nel Mondo–Toto Holding Award was presented Friday, January 9, in the Press Room of the Chamber of Deputies. The award is a competition for unpublished short stories open to Italian citizens living abroad and to people of Italian descent. It was created through a partnership between the John Fante Festival “Il dio di mio padre” and the Piccolo Festival delle Spartenze.
Migrazioni e Cultura, with the patronage of the L&gend Literature and Gender Identity research group at the G. d’Annunzio University of Chieti–Pescara, the Società Dante Alighieri, and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
The theme of the 2026 edition will be Women in Emigration.
Organized by the Municipality of Torricella Peligna (CH), which also runs the John Fante Festival, the award is promoted in partnership with Toto Holding, with the collaboration of the Fondazione Pescarabruzzo and the Piccolo Festival delle Spartenze. The goal is to give a voice to the many Italian roots spread around the world, to highlight how Italian and Italian-descendant authors have contributed to the cultural and artistic life of their adopted countries, and to explore how they have engaged with their Italian heritage. The award also seeks to promote Italian writers living abroad and to discover new literary talent.
After opening remarks by Fabio Porta, member of the Foreign Affairs and European Communities Committee and Vice President of the Committee for Italians Abroad, by Carmine Ficca, Mayor of Torricella Peligna, and by Nicola Di Pietrantonio, City Councilor of Torricella Peligna, the speakers included Giovanna Di Lello, creator of the award and director of the John Fante Festival; Giuseppe Sommario, co-creator of the award and director of the Piccolo Festival delle Spartenze; Giovanni Maria De Vita, Minister-Counselor responsible for the PNRR Roots Tourism Project at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Toni Ricciardi, Member of Parliament elected in the Europe Overseas Constituency; and Paolo Masini, President of the National Museum of Italian Emigration in Genoa. The event was moderated by Gianni Lattanzio, editorial director of MeridianoItalia.
Mayor Carmine Ficca said he was proud to present the second edition of the Italia Radici nel Mondo Award at the Chamber of Deputies, describing it as a living bridge between Italy and Italian communities and descendants around the world, and as a way to strengthen cultural and identity ties through memory, creativity, and belonging.
Giovanna Di Lello explained that the second edition aims to give voice to women’s stories and to reflect on a frequently overlooked aspect of migration history, highlighting the courage, resilience, and cultural contribution of women migrants.
Giuseppe Sommario noted that the strong response to the first edition made a second one almost inevitable, and stressed that dedicating it to women is essential, since women have played a decisive role in Italian emigration and today represent a growing share of Italians who migrate independently and successfully.
The jury is chaired by Vito Teti and includes Giovanna Di Lello, Giuseppe Sommario, Antonio Bini, Maria Concetta Costantini, Giovanna Chiarilli, Roberta Sibona, Toni Ricciardi, and Gianni Lattanzio.
All finalist works will be published in a single volume. Winning entries will receive cash prizes in two categories: New Emigration, dedicated to Italians who have chosen to settle abroad in recent years, and Italian Descendants, which celebrates the stories of descendants of Italian emigrants who continue to keep their roots alive while living in different cultural contexts. Both categories aim to highlight the importance of the Italian diaspora and to strengthen ties between Italy and Italian communities worldwide.
