Italy's Ministry of Culture, Ministero della Cultura, has announced the 10 finalists for the 2025 edition of the Italian Capital of Culture. The shortlist of towns and cities reaching for the title must present their bids to a jury appointed by the culture ministry in Rome on March 20th-21st. The jury will then have to recommend the best candidate for the prestigious recognition to Italian Culture Minister, Gennaro Sangiuliano.
#Capitaleitalianadellacultura 2025, individuate le 10 finaliste: Agrigento, Aosta, Assisi (Perugia), Asti, Bagnoregio (Viterbo), Monte Sant’Angelo (Foggia), Orvieto (Terni), Pescina (L’Aquila), Roccasecca (Frosinone) e Spoleto (Perugia).
— Ministero della Cultura (@MiC_Italia) January 25, 2023https://t.co/wp6i9Au5RO pic.twitter.com/HXabsBgLX3
Italian Capital of Culture 2025 Nominees
Here are the 10 finalists in line for the coveted title of Capitale Italiana della Cultura 2025:
- Agrigento (Sicily)
- Aosta (Valle d’Aosta)
- Assisi (Umbria)
- Asti (Piemonte)
- Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio)
- Monte Sant’Angelo (Puglia)
- Orvieto (Umbria)
- Pescina (Abruzzo)
- Roccasecca (Lazio)
- Spoleto (Umbria)
Past Italian Capital of Culture Winners
The northern Italian cities of Bergamo and Brescia recently took up their joint status as the 2023 Capital of Culture.
In 2022, the small island of Procida just off the coast of Naples held the title. Other towns in Italy to earn the title of Capitale Italiana della Cultura were: Cagliari, Lecce, Perugia, Ravenna, and Siena. In 2019, Italy chose to skip that year, as Matera in southern Basilicata had earned the European Capital of Culture title.
2020 saw the town of Parma claim the title of Capital status. The town maintained the title for a second year because of the COVID lockdown restrictions.
It was already announced that the town of Pesaro, a coastal town located in the Marche region and facing the Adriatic Sea, will hold the title of Capitale Italiana della Cultura in 2024.
Arianna DiCicco
Arianna DiCicco is an educator and writer from California, born into an Italian American restaurant family with strong ties to her grandparents’ home in Abruzzo, Italy. She has lived in San Francisco, Rome and New York City where she’s made deep connections within the Italian communities and gained new perspectives about her own culture. With a Masters in International Education, Arianna has a love and passion for learning and educating others about Italian history & culture.