The Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco and Librai in corso
Present
La Piazza 2026 – Italian Literary Festival San Francisco – First Edition April 10-13, 2026
San Francisco, CA —Presented by the Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco, and by the Italian cultural association Librai in Corso, La Piazza – Italian Literary Festival San Francisco, First Edition, April 10-13, 2026 is the first Italian literary festival in San Francisco dedicated to bringing renown Italian writers to Bay Area audiences and celebrating the country’s rich literary tradition, sharing the voices and faces that define our contemporary literary culture.
From Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio to Manzoni, Sciascia, and Calvino, and most recently Elena Ferrante, Italy boasts a rich and influential literary tradition. In line with the guidelines of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs promoting Italian publishing and education abroad, the festival presents seven authors who offer the San Francisco Bay Area a glimpse into today’s Italian literary landscape. The University of California, Davis is partnering with the Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco, sponsoring and hosting a program on campus and directly involving its faculty, students, and docents in the festival.
La Piazza opens on Friday, April 10th at the Italian Cultural Institute, 710 Sansome Street, San Francisco, and then continues in University of California, Davis, and at Libreria Pino. It will close on Monday, April 13th at the legendary Club Fugazi in North Beach, 378 Green Street. On March 16th, the festival will be preceded by a festival launch featuring the 2025 Strega Prize Winner Andrea Bajani in conversation with author and docent Sara Marinelli.
La Piazza Kids, a dedicated children’s section of the festival, will host authors Silvia D’Achille and Benedetta Faedi for school visits at La Scuola International School, Saints Peter and Paul School, and Lowell High School in San Francisco, as well as St. Catherine of Siena School in Burlingame.
All presentations are in English or Italian, with English translation.
Events are free and open to the public. Registration required. Learn more: La Piazza San Francisco
Read the full press release here: LA PIAZZA 2026_PRESS RELEASE