The process leading to the designation of the 2029 Italian Capital of Culture has officially begun. The Ministry of Culture has released the list of municipalities and regional consortia that have submitted expressions of interest to compete for the title: A total of 17 applications were received by the deadline set in the call for applications—July 1, 2026—confirming the widespread interest in an award that in recent years has established itself as one of the main tools for enhancing and promoting regions through culture.
The applications come from various parts of the country and include not only medium- and large-sized cities, but also small towns, mountain communities, associations of municipalities, and regional consortia. This landscape reflects the growing focus on culture as a driver of economic development, urban regeneration, social inclusion, and the promotion of local identity. Here they are:
1) Amantea (Cosenza) – Calabria
2) Bardolino (Verona) – Veneto
3) Bassano del Grappa (Vicenza) – Veneto
4) Campobasso – Molise
5) Cassino (Frosinone) – Lazio
6) Mountain Community of Valle Camonica (Brescia) – Lombardy
7) Castelli Romani Consortium (Rome) – Lazio
8) Corigliano-Rossano (Cosenza) – Calabria
9) Cremona – Lombardy
10) Cutro (Crotone) – Calabria
11) Irsina (Matera) – Basilicata
12) Manduria (Taranto) – Apulia
13) Marcellinara (Catanzaro) – Calabria
14) Nova Siri (Matera) – Basilicata
15) Rosarno (Reggio Calabria) – Calabria
16) Tivoli (Rome) – Lazio
17) Unione Montana dei Monti Azzurri (Macerata) – Marche
The Ministry of Culture emphasizes that this first phase represents only the beginning of the process that will lead to the selection of the winning city. The expression of interest is, in fact, the first step outlined in the call for proposals, which will be followed by the submission of the actual applications. Applicants will now be required to prepare a detailed dossier to be submitted by September 23, 2026. The document must include the cultural project underpinning the candidacy, strategies for regional development, the involvement of institutions, associations, and other participating entities, a plan for economic sustainability, and the objectives to be achieved through the potential award of the title. The dossiers will then be reviewed by a jury of experts, appointed by ministerial decree, which will be responsible for evaluating the proposals and selecting the project deemed most compelling. The announcement of the 2029 Italian Capital of Culture is expected by March 2027.
The award, established to promote Italy’s cultural heritage and support urban development through enhancement programs, has become one of the most significant tools of national cultural policy. The goal is to foster the implementation of innovative projects capable of integrating heritage preservation, cultural production, economic development, social inclusion, and increased appeal to tourists.
Over the years, the title has helped drive urban and regional transformation in numerous Italian cities. The initiative follows in the footsteps of Matera, designated as the European Capital of Culture for 2019, which served as a model for subsequent Italian editions. After Matera, the title of Italian Capital of Culture was awarded to Parma for the 2020–2021 period—a choice influenced in part by the effects of the pandemic— then to Procida in 2022, to Bergamo and Brescia in 2023—jointly designated as a symbol of recovery following the health emergency—and to Pesaro in 2024. Agrigento is the Italian Capital of Culture for 2025, while L’Aquila will hold the title in 2026 and Pordenone in 2027. For 2028, the Ministry of Culture has already awarded the title to Ancona.
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| Italian Capital of Culture 2029: There Are 17 Candidate Cities |
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