Trust will be the key theme of the sixteenth edition of Taobuk-Taormina international book festival, founded and led by Antonella Ferrara. The event will take place from 18 to 22 June 2026 in Taormina with over 200 guests from 30 countries who will make the Pearl of the Ionian city a crossroads of witnesses at the center of the multidisciplinary artistic-literary, historical-philosophical, scientific, political and economic debate.
«Taking trust as a theme – explains Antonella Ferrrara – means bringing back to the center the invisible plot that supports every bond: the credibility of science, the responsibility of emerging technologies, the vitality of intellectual dialogue, the value of the word in narration and art. It is questioning ourselves about trust in others, in society, in institutions, in time, in the future. Trust not only allows us to open up to others, but transforms those who know how to offer it.”
The program
The program is based on a 360-degree in-depth study of knowledge and knowledge with anniversaries to remember in 2026. Such as the 90 years since the death of Luigi Pirandello and the Festival will host a choral celebration of the work and thought of the Nobel Prize winner, highlighting his cultural and civil relevance. On the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the institutional referendum which saw the birth of the Italian Republic on 2 June 1946, a shared reflection will be promoted on the values that founded it and on their relevance. While the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America will be an opportunity to question the meaning of the values of freedom and democracy affirmed in that founding text.
The gala evening with the presentation of the Taobuk awards on Rai1
The key event will be, as always, the gala evening, filmed and broadcast by Rai, which will be held on 20 June at the Teatro Antico with the presentation of the Taobuk awards. The Festival is promoted by the Sicilian Region, with the contribution of the Taormina arte Sicilia Foundation, the Naxos Taormina archaeological park, the City of Taormina, the universities of Messina and Catania, the Massimo Bellini Theater of Catania and the competition of private partners.