Sixteen dossiers by the set deadline of September 28th. The title of Capital of Culture for 2026 is contested between large and medium-sized cities in the North and South. The Ministry of Culture has announced the list with the related projects. A jury of experts will reduce the number to ten by December 15th and will subsequently proclaim the winning city.
This is the list of cities that submitted the application:
1. Agnone (Isernia), “Agnone 2026: Fire, inside. Margin in the center"
2. Alba (Cuneo), “To live is to begin. Langhe and Roero, another story"
3. Bernalda (Matera), “I listen. World, Knowledge and Mystery"
4. Cosenza, "From Dreams to Signs"
5. Gaeta (Latin), “Blue, the Climate of Culture"
6. L'Aquila, "L'Aquila Multiverse City"
7. Latina, "Latina bonum facere"
8. Lucca, "Lucca 2026. Inhabiting culture"
9. Lucera (Foggia), “Lucera 2026: Crossroads of Peoples and Cultures"
10. Maratea (Power), "Maratea 2026. The future starts from a thousand-year journey"
11. Marcellinara (Catanzaro), “The Meeting at the narrowest point in Italy"
12. Rimini, "Come over. The future here and now"
13. Treviso, "The Senses of Culture"
14. Union of the Municipalities of the Lands of Oil and Sagrantino (Perugia), “CultureXWellbeing"
15. Union of Valdichiana Senese Municipalities (Siena), “Valdichiana 2026, seed of Italy"
16. Mountain Union of Municipalities of Valtiberina Tuscany (Arezzo), “The Song of Cultures"
After the proclamation, for one year the Municipality that wins the title will have to implement the timetable of the planned activities. Of particular interest towards the final victory are the aspects of economic-financial and environmental sustainability. The latter value was much appreciated during the events held in the winning cities. On the other hand, each project involves collaborations and commercial agreements with companies, brands, local associations and local institutions green oriented. The finalist cities will now be called for the public hearings, which will take place by 14 March 2024. It will be a decisive moment, as we have seen in the past, in which the mayors illustrate the reasons for the candidacy with all the economic and tourist attraction aspects.
The proclamation of the Capital will be held by March 29, 2024. The winner will receive a financial contribution of one million euros to realize the project objectives and transform the ideas into an action program. In the list of 16 there are cities with a great cultural tradition and all capable of showcasing their cultural richness and local development potential. The countdown has started.