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Subiaco Named Italian Book Capital 2025 with €500k Program

cultural-heritage · 2026-04-26

In 2025, Subiaco, a small town in Rome with a population of under 10,000, will take over the title of Capitale italiana del Libro from Taurianova. Chosen from a pool of 20 contenders, Subiaco will receive a €500,000 grant from the Direzione generale Biblioteche e diritto d’autore. The initiative, titled 'Soglia del Paradiso,' celebrates Subiaco's rich history in printing, where Italy's first book was created in 1465. Planned activities include museum tours, theatrical shows, and school collaborations. Key attractions are the Monastero di San Benedetto, the Monastero di Santa Scolastica, and the Borgo dei Cartai museum. Additionally, natural sites like Laghetto di San Benedetto and the Sentiero Coleman, alongside historical landmarks such as the Ponte di San Francesco and the Arco Trionfale from 1787, will be featured.

Key facts

  • Subiaco is Capitale italiana del Libro 2025.
  • The project receives €500,000 from the Direzione generale Biblioteche e diritto d’autore.
  • The program is titled 'Soglia del Paradiso'.
  • The first book printed in Italy was produced in Subiaco in 1465.
  • Two printers from Mainz, students of Gutenberg, set up the first movable-type press in Italy at Santa Scolastica in 1464.
  • The Monastero di San Benedetto is built around the Sacro Speco where San Benedetto lived as a hermit.
  • The Monastero di Santa Scolastica library is a national monument.
  • The Borgo dei Cartai offers workshops in papermaking and printing.
  • The Sentiero Coleman is a 100+ km trail named after painter Enrico Coleman.
  • The Rocca Abbaziale houses the MACS museum.

Entities

Artists

  • San Benedetto da Norcia
  • Petrarca
  • Enrico Coleman
  • Pinturicchio
  • Liborio Coccetti
  • Rodrigo Borgia
  • Sisto V
  • Pio VI

Institutions

  • Direzione generale Biblioteche e diritto d’autore
  • Monastero di San Benedetto
  • Monastero di Santa Scolastica
  • Borgo dei Cartai
  • Museo delle Attività cartarie e della Stampa di Subiaco (MACS)
  • Rocca Abbaziale di Subiaco
  • Convento di San Francesco
  • Chiesa di San Lorenzo Martire
  • Parco Naturale Regionale dei Monti Simbruini

Locations

  • Subiaco
  • Italy
  • Rome
  • Taurianova
  • Valle dell’Aniene
  • Monte Taleo
  • Sacro Speco
  • Jenne
  • Monte Autore
  • Santuario della Trinità
  • Magonza
  • Mainz

Sources