Once upon a time there was a lake, and around the lake, a forest. And within the forest, someone who understood before anyone else that words, those written in books, need open space to truly breathe.
Readings from the Woods was born from this intuition. Every year, on the third Sunday of July, Lake Laceno, body of water nestled at over a thousand metres above sea level between the mountains of Bagnoli Irpino, in the green heart of the Irpine tree, transforms into an open-air stage. The audience sits on the grass, the stage is the forest, and everyone is the protagonist, no one excluded. Literature descends from the books and takes a breath.
Now in its fourth edition, with the moral patronage of the European Parliament, the festival embodies the maturity of those who have grown without losing their original soul.
An idea born from those who knowthere is the value of the internal areas
It was the writer who imagined it Joseph Tecce, who saw in that mountain landscape a potential that too many had given up on. The inland areas of Campania, beautiful lands often marginalized by cultural circuits, deserved an event worthy of their depth. A place where literature could take root in the territory, grow alongside the community, and become, over time, a point of reference for readers, authors, and culture enthusiasts from across the region.
And that's exactly what Letture dal Bosco has become: a festival that unites Irpinia with Campania as a whole, without ever losing its sense of place.
The reader as protagonist
What sets this festival apart from all the others is understood the moment you arrive and see that the protagonist is the reader, whoever they may be. A principle that sounds simple, but which completely overturns the way we're used to experiencing culture.
The Reading Contest, free and open to all, regardless of age, is the heart of the day. Participants choose one of the four books selected for the 2026 edition and perform a passage, a page, or a chapter. The judging, entrusted to a jury composed of the Campania Book Clubs (Vuoi leggere con noi of San Marco Evangelista, Mondadori Bookstore Giugliano, and Tra le Righe of Benevento), chaired by Rosanna Lemmo, measures the ability to convey emotion, to make the written words feel like their own, and to create a connection with the listener in just a few minutes.
The voices that enrich the 2026 edition
Letture dal Bosco also thrives on the encounter between readers and the publishing world, and this year participants will be able to choose from four works capable of moving and surprising. Up to you by Alessia Vessicchio and Seven Forty-Five by Giuseppe Tecce, both published by Graus Editions, open the selection with two distinct and powerful voices. These are joined by Book Dealers by Rosario Esposito La Rossa, published by Marotta & Cafiero, the story of a dream born in Scampia that changed the lives of many, and Lighthouses of the Soul. Rays of light and memories, a collective collection of short stories published by Apeiron Edizioni, in which many voices merge into a single narrative chorus.
The day will be led by Grazia Carusor, whose presence guarantees the festival its ability to combine cultural rigor and human warmth, to guide the audience through the stories without ever losing the thread of emotion.
In the afternoon, the festival stops to celebrate those who have made culture a daily and courageous act. Special Awards Readings from the Woods 2026 will be awarded to eleven individuals who, in different ways and fields, have left their mark on the cultural and social fabric of the area. The director Antonello Carbone and the director and writer Maurizio Del Greco they bring the power of visual storytelling. Carlotta Pinto, an actress and singer known to the general public thanks to Mare Fuori, demonstrates that art and commitment can coexist gracefully. The musician Carmine Ioanna and the poet Dominic Cipriano They represent music and words in their purest form. Federica Brogna, journalist and creative mind behind the board game Irpinia – It goes crooked, derived veins, demonstrates that telling the story of a territory can take on the most unexpected and wonderful forms. Marika Camposano, bookblogger and mindfulness coach, combines a passion for books with inner well-being. Peter Pio Ciampa, photographer, captures moments and gives them eternity. Pasquale Luca Nacca, president of the Insieme per Avellino e per l'Irpinia association, embodies civic commitment to serving the community. The writer Rino Cillo and the Wave Association complete a picture of recognitions that tells the type of culture that Letture dal Bosco wants to celebrate, the one that comes from below, grows with dedication and belongs to everyone.
Lake Laceno, the territoriesor that deserves to be discovered
Nestled in the heart of the Picentini Mountains Regional Park, Lake Laceno is one of the most captivating landscapes in the Southern Apennines. The still waters reflecting the surrounding peaks, the beech forest reaching its deepest green in July, and the clean high-altitude air all combine to make this place a setting few festivals in the world could match.
Letture dal Bosco has chosen to make it a capital of culture, every third Sunday in July. This choice speaks volumes about how literature can become a tool for regional development, capable of shining a spotlight on forgotten places and restoring their dignity.
A ga day to live to the fullest
The event will take place on July 19th at 10:00 a.m. at the Hotel La Lucciola, the meeting point for all participants, with the day ending around 5:00 p.m.
Come for the woods, the lake, the books, to discover that true culture flourishes in the places you least expect it, among the beech trees of Irpinia, on the shores of Lake Laceno, every year on the third Sunday of July.
Free admission. Registration for the competition is free. Everything else—the excitement, the encounters, the pages read aloud—is included.
