Many guests, many “big names” – from Antonio Scurati to Roberto Saviano, passing through Maurizio De Giovanni and Fabio Genovesi – who for four days will make Lodi one of the Italian capitals of literature. From Thursday to Sunday, in the shadow of the cathedral in Piazza della Vittoria, the first edition of the “The river of books” festival will be staged, an event that opens the summer festival Lodi al sole promoted by the Municipality. Directed by Cadore 33 by Riccardo Cavallero and Teresa Martini, the festival intends to become a fixed event and enter the elite of the great Italian literary events. «But in fact we have already entered it – says Riccardo Cavallero, from Lodi, former general director of Mondadori, CEO of Einaudi and founder of the SEM publishing house -. We really received a flood of phone calls from authors, agents and publishing houses.”
«The publishing industry is a full part of the entertainment sector. It produces events specifically to entertain the public. Culture is always there, but we can talk about important topics lightly, trying to broaden the audience.”
«I would say that this “number zero” is very promising, we have already received considerable attention. Obviously everything can be improved: for the next edition we would also like to propose events dedicated to schools. The festival must become a moment shared with the whole city, even throughout the year. We must promote books in a different way: not just organize simple presentations, but meetings aimed at making the authors and people known. We want to know why they write, what they think.”
«I am very attached to Lodi, where I lived splendid years. My parents and sister still live in the city. The Adda is a fundamental component of this territory and culture is like the river: it fertilizes the lands it touches. In the coming years, the goal is to organize events along the river too: we need to find the right spaces, we are working in this direction with the Municipality.”
«This is the ambition. We want to offer a quality event to the citizens, but also bring people from outside. Let’s think about what happens in Mantua or Pordenone: they are two events where people move to follow the events. Among the objectives we have set ourselves, there is also the fact that the festival has an economic impact on the territory. Plus, Lodi is wonderful, the square is a jewel: it’s a way to “showcase” the city.”
«The program is very varied: there is a bit of everything. It’s like creating a television schedule. We tried not to overlap similar genres. The festival was created to be “spread” over three days; then, between elections and the European football championships, we had to do a slalom to fit everything together.”
«I would say that all guests will bring something important. We invited Antonio Scurati before what happened then in Rai; we brought luck to Chiara Valerio, one of the finalists of the Premio Strega. Let’s say that there is a nice mix, suitable for all tastes: we start with Scurati and end with Fabio Volo. Furthermore we can also count on very interesting young people like Ilaria Rossetti and Marta Stella. Without forgetting a “sacred monster” from Lodi like Andrea Maietti, one of the passions of my life. Next year we would also like to invite foreign writers, but to do so we need time.”
«My choice was a symbolic gesture towards an unfortunate initiative, to bring attention to a particular issue. But I am happy to have received the award and, above all, that that ordinance was then eliminated. Lodi is the city where I had the most fun. I spent the best years, those of high school, I played water polo, I taught swimming… I only have great memories. And then, I repeat, a square like that of Lodi has very few equals.”
