The news that Pordenone has decided to submit its candidacy for City of Books 2022 has been circulating for a few days now. The deadline is approaching quickly – the call specifies July 11th as the final date for submitting applications – and there is a lot of work to be done. However, the ideas that emerged during the first operational meeting between the Municipality, Fondazione Pordenonelegge, and local associations are numerous and innovative.

The Municipality, through its Department of Culture, is leading the work and has enlisted the help and expertise of Fondazione Pordenonelegge, which, as stated in its statute, is dedicated to the promotion of culture as a factor of social and economic development, with specific actions that also aim to enhance the territory of the province of Pordenone and, more broadly, the region.

In turn, the Foundation, which in the past has worked with Capitale Cultura Group for business development and fundraising activities, has tasked the Group with coordinating the dossier. With the expertise of its founder and the support of the team, Capitale Cultura Group is overseeing the coordination of all stakeholders involved.

Friday’s meeting focused on operational matters, starting with the words of the Councillor for Culture, Pietro Tropeano, who emphasized the value of culture for the city: “Our city continues to thrive on culture thanks to you and those like you who do so much for the community. Over the years, I’ve had the chance to meet those behind the associations and those working for quality. We’ve seen many great events, and I’m not just referring to the well-known festivals. Today, we are here primarily to listen to you and your ideas.” This sentiment was echoed by Flavia Leonarduzzi, a senior official from the Municipality, who added: “We’ve started with a strong presence of the city library, connected to neighborhood libraries and many associations that have thematic libraries. We thought we could think big because some of the objectives of the call, such as promoting reading habits, increasing the number of readers, and promoting libraries and bookstores, already belong to us. We believe in this.”

The floor was then handed to Antonio Scuderi, who invited all the parties present at the table to reflect on the real added value that a city like Pordenone can bring to the field of books and reading. Many valuable insights were shared by the attendees, who emphasized the need to focus on the concept of reading, even before the concept of books, and on the inclusivity that this action brings with it.

Now, only a few weeks remain, and the associations, together with the Municipality and all the involved parties, will organize participatory working groups to refine and fine-tune the ideas being developed collaboratively, with the aim of submitting an innovative and comprehensive dossier full of activities for all.