L'Italo-Americano

stroll through thoughts, with discussions continuing after t h e o f f i c i a l m e e t i n g h a s ended." One of the strongest choic- e s o f t h e f e s t i v a l w a s t h e rejection of a single theme. "A monotheme risks being limiting," explain Piero Roc- chi and Leonardo Errani. "Italian literature is an explo- sion of genres and styles, and w e w a n t e d t o r e f l e c t t h a t richness." Among the protag- onists is Giulia Caminito, a powerful voice capable of r e c o u n t i n g t h e c r a c k s i n modern society with a sharp tongue. Alongside her is the m a s t e r o f n o i r , C a r l o L u c a r e l l i , w h o b r i n g s a story set in 1944 Bologna to San Francisco. Lucarelli's choice is literary and emo- tional: the connection to the city of San Francisco, where his family has deep roots, makes his participation an event with a strong emotion- al charge. The festival also features p r o p o s a l s l i k e M a n u e l a Nkoum and her novel Tan- gerine. "Manuela is a debut a u t h o r , " L i b r a i i n C o r s o explains. "Her story, where C a l a b r i a n a n d M o r o c c a n roots intersect, is of absolute vision a concrete form, in record time. We must pro- mote the Italian language while also speaking English. To approach the local public, it is crucial to focus on trans- lations, as this is the only way we can reach those who are curious about our culture but do not yet master our lan- guage." In this process, the role of Libreria Pino has been fundamental as it has allowed for the mapping of local tastes and ensured the availability of texts in both languages, acting as the oper- ational arm on the ground. The name of the festival encapsulates the philosophy of encounter: as explained by writer Andrea Bajani, who curated the festival's preview on March 16 with the presen- tation of The Book of Homes, the piazza is the place of the collective. Bajani described the piazza as a space full of relationships. "Literature has the same purpose as the piaz- za: bringing different cul- tures together," the Director o f t h e I I C o b s e r v e s . " W e don't want writers to come here only to present a book, but also to spread ideas. We want the audience to feel part of it, to ask questions and modernity. She wrote her thesis on Ferlinghetti without e v e r h a v i n g b e e n t o S a n Francisco: bringing her here is a perfect astral conjunc- tion." There is also an inter- n a t i o n a l f o c u s w i t h A n n Goldstein, the translator of Elena Ferrante, a key figure i n s h o w i n g t h e A m e r i c a n public the richness that exists beyond global blockbusters, acting as a cultural bridge between the two sides of the Atlantic. A separate chapter is dedi- cated to children's publish- ing, a sector where Italy is a world leader in graphic and n a r r a t i v e i n n o v a t i o n . L a Piazza Kids brings authors directly into the classrooms o f S T . S P e t e r a n d P a u l School, Saint Catherine of S i e n a , a n d L o w e l l H i g h School. "Children's publish- ing represents a huge market share in the United States," explains the Director of the IIC. "Bringing authors into schools, thanks to the collab- oration with the Consulate's Education Office, means cre- ating a child-sized piazza in a familiar environment." The protagonists of these meet- ings will be Silvia D'Achille and Benedetta Faedi, who will bring Italian creativity into the schools, proving that literature is not a dusty sub- ject but a serious game that helps one grow and under- stand others. Success will be measured by public participation and the debate generated in icon- i c v e n u e s s u c h a s C l u b Fugazi, but also in the con- s o l i d a t i o n o f a n e t w o r k involving prestigious univer- s i t i e s l i k e B e r k e l e y . F o r Librai in Corso, the true goal is the happiness of the pub- lishing houses and the dis- covery of new voices by the American public. "Success is seeing an Italian Californian proud of their culture and an American falling in love with a story they have never heard b e f o r e , " s a y P i e r o a n d Leonardo. They bet that the "know-how" of Italian book- sellers can become a model for cultural export, capable of generating not only sales but, above all, lasting bonds and a deeper understanding of con- temporary Italy. of the bookseller back at the center, training new genera- tions in a craft that requires psychological sensitivity, commercial vision, and liter- ary culture. Through Librai in Corso, Piero and Leonardo h a v e c r e a t e d a u n i q u e ecosystem: they did not limit themselves to teaching ware- house management; they also promoted the idea of the bookseller as an active "cul- tural agent." Their strength lies in combining the practi- cal experience of the shop with the managerial vision of an international event. The turning point came almost by chance in Vienna in 2022, when they proved that the model of the "diffused book- store" could work abroad, by transforming every presenta- tion into a collective ritual. If Vienna was the testing g r o u n d, S a n F r a n c i s c o represents the highest c h a l l e n g e : M a r i o Zaccagnino, the new Direc- tor of the Italian Cultural Institute, who took office in January 2026, found fertile ground laid by the previous director, Alberta Lai. "Upon my arrival, we worked in synergy with Librai in Corso a n d o u r s t a f f t o g i v e t h i s T here is an image that defines the essence of Italian c u l t u r e m o r e t h a n a m o n u - ment: the piazza, a point of intersection where the pri- vate becomes public and the silence of reading transforms into dialogues. It is from this ancient yet m o d e r n c o n c e p t t h a t L a Piazza – Italian Literary Festival was born. This first- ever showcase of contempo- rary Italian literature in San Francisco will animate the city from April 10 to 14, 2026, thanks to a project that is the culmination of a story spanning decades and c o u n t r i e s . I t i s a t a l e o f friendship, of ancient crafts like bookselling, and cultural diplomacy that aims to move beyond stereotypes to reveal the true complexity of mod- ern-day Italy. To understand the DNA of this festival, one must look b a c k t h i r t y y e a r s . P i e r o R o c c h i a n d L e o n a r d o Errani, the President and Vice President of the associa- tion Librai in Corso, have shared a lifetime in the pub- lishing world. "We have been friends forever; we started as booksellers, and that training h a s r e m a i n e d o u r N o r t h Star," they explain: a profes- sional partnership and an intellectual symbiosis born in the narrow alleys of Italian cities. Being booksellers does not mean just selling a paper object; it means acting as "curators of souls and sto- ries;" during the nineties and early 2000s, they experi- enced the evolution of the publishing market firsthand, understanding that the future of the bookstore lay not in the cold algorithms of e-com- merce, but in the ability to create physical communities. A f t e r p u r s u i n g d i f f e r e n t paths, one focused on strate- gic editorial consulting and the other on the training and promotion of cultural events, the two reunited in 2015 to found Librai in Corso. The idea was ambitious: to place the technical expertise From left, Leonardo Errani and Piero Rocchi, founders of Librai in Corso (Photo courtesy of Librai in Corso) Italy's contemporary voice lands in the Bay Area with La Piazza Literary Festival SERENA PERFETTO THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2026 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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