Alessandro Baricco's 'Silent Storm' Engulfs Rome in Mass Reading of Dostoevsky

On June 17, 2026, at 8:47 PM, writer Alessandro Baricco orchestrated 'La Tempesta Silenziosa' (The Silent Storm), a mass reading of Fyodor Dostoevsky's 'White Nights' across over 300 locations in Rome. Thousands gathered simultaneously at sunset to read the same book in perfect silence, transforming the city into a relational urban installation. The project was promoted by Rome's Department of Culture in coordination with initiatives linked to the Day of Memory. Seven institutional hubs served as anchors: Stadio Palatino (where Baricco inaugurated the reading), Ara Pacis, Villa Torlonia, the former Mattatoio di Testaccio, Teatro dell'Opera, Piazza del Campidoglio, and Casa del Jazz. Additionally, 25,000 free copies of the text were distributed across Rome's fifteen municipalities, spreading to civic libraries, metro stations, parks, courtyards, and private spaces. The event included live musical interventions and concluded with actress Isabella Ragonese reading the final lines from the Stadio Palatino, followed by a DJ set. Baricco, founder of the Scuola Holden, has a history of pushing literature beyond the page into shared experience. The silent collective reading was framed as a political act of resistance against digital overstimulation and a gesture of memory and respect.