interviews: Maximiliano Crocamo and Nastassja Martin
Italian journalist and historical author Alessandro Marzo Magno has been named the winner of the seventh edition of the Friuli Venezia Giulia literary prize Il racconto dei luoghi e del tempo (“The Story of Places and Time”), an award that recognizes writers who explore the history and identity of the northeastern Italian region.
The prize, established by the Friuli Venezia Giulia regional government in partnership with the Fondazione Pordenonelegge.it, honors authors whose work highlights the region through historical and literary storytelling. The jury is chaired by the regional governor, Massimiliano Fedriga.
Marzo Magno will receive the award during the 27th edition of the Pordenonelegge literary festival on Sept. 19, where he will also present Quando Marano era l’ombelico del mondo (“When Marano Was the Navel of the World”), an unpublished historical essay written specifically for the prize. The book is scheduled to be released during the festival by publisher Italo Svevo.
Announcing the award, Friuli Venezia Giulia’s deputy governor and regional culture commissioner, Mario Anzil, said the prize was created to promote the region through the perspectives of prominent Italian writers. He described Marzo Magno’s work as reflecting the idea of a “border culture,” citing the history of Marano Lagunare as an example of how frontier communities can become cultural centers through dialogue and exchange.
The jury praised the author for combining historical rigor with a broad perspective on the Adriatic region. In its citation, it described Marzo Magno as a skilled narrator of the Venetian lagoon whose careful archival research and accessible prose make him well suited to tell the story of Marano Lagunare, an area of Friuli Venezia Giulia that has received relatively little literary attention.
Speaking remotely during the announcement, Marzo Magno said he sees himself less as a novelist than as “a journalist of the past,” using historical essays to uncover and recount overlooked episodes from history.
Discussing his research, the author highlighted a centuries-old ritual involving the neighboring communities of Marano Lagunare, historically aligned with the Republic of Venice, and Carlino, which fell under Habsburg rule. Despite disputes over sovereignty of the small island of San Pietro, the communities developed an annual symbolic confrontation that remained peaceful and often concluded with shared celebrations, illustrating a long tradition of managing border tensions without violence.
Previous recipients of the prize include historian Valerio Massimo Manfredi and authors Melania Mazzucco, Marco Balzano, Mariolina Venezia, Diego Marani and Giuseppe Lupo. Their commissioned works have explored places across Friuli Venezia Giulia, including Aquileia, Udine, Carnia, Trieste, the Gorizia–Nova Gorica border area, and Pordenone, which is set to become Italy’s Capital of Culture in 2027.
