by Nina Vaclavikova
Interviews: Elena Mengotti, Coordinator of the project LeggiAMO!, Mario Anzil, FVG councilor for culture
The Friuli Venezia Giulia region marked its annual Reading Day on Friday with the opening of a photography exhibition celebrating a decade-long effort to nurture a culture of reading among young people.
The exhibition, “Leggiamo! Ritratti di una regione che cresce leggendo” (“Let’s Read! Portraits of a Region Growing Through Reading”), features more than 100 readers of all ages photographed with their favorite books. Curated by the cultural association Damatrà, the show is open to the public free of charge at the Magazzino delle Idee in Trieste through Nov. 9.
The event forms part of “Un libro lungo un giorno” (“A Book Lasting a Day”), a region-wide celebration devoted to literature and storytelling. The initiative is tied to LeggiAMO 0-18, Friuli Venezia Giulia’s flagship reading promotion program launched ten years ago to encourage reading from early childhood through adolescence.
Speaking at the opening, Mario Anzil, the region’s vice governor and culture chief, praised the program for inspiring young people to develop both imagination and critical thinking.
“Even in an age when we have tools that make many tasks easier, reasoning remains at the foundation of every choice in life,” he said, noting that reading helps young minds “dream and escape, even briefly, into worlds of the impossible.”
This year’s edition of LeggiAMO 0-18 involves more than 60,000 students across 2,800 classrooms, as well as approximately 6,000 teachers and librarians throughout the region. Organizers described it as a national model, both for its scope and for its integration of schools, libraries, and community groups.
The exhibition features contributions from prominent cultural figures and public officials, including the region’s president, Massimiliano Fedriga, photographed by Alice Durigatto. According to Anzil, their participation reflects a wider community commitment to promoting literacy.
Notable authors with ties to the region — among them Federica Manzon, Andrea Maggi, Gian Mario Villalta and Tullio Avoledo — served as ambassadors for the day, taking part in readings and public events across Friuli Venezia Giulia.
Anzil expressed hope that today’s young readers will eventually become advocates themselves. Sharing a book or poem that moved us, he said, “can become a gift for someone else.”
As the region looks ahead to the next decade of LeggiAMO 0-18, its leaders appear determined to ensure that reading remains a cornerstone of civic and cultural life in northeastern Italy.
