Mantua, 11 September 2016 – The festivities of the twentieth edition of Festivaletteratura come to an end, having seen incredible participation from the public: an ever attentive, passionate and knowledgeable crowd were ready from the get-go when more than 800 people waited in Piazza Castello, and over 600 attended the opening concert in the Duomo

This twentieth year saw Festivaletteratura take a step forward both in terms of continuity and innovation: a Festival that continues to build on its own tradition, but one which also strides towards the future with distinctive authors and new experimental projects, always progressing thanks to an incredible network of figures, especially those youngsters who have grown up in and around the Festival, becoming its essential operational core over time. We owe the creation of new ventures such as Storie di videogiochi, Prototipi and the evening concerts at Festivaletteratura Music Hall to them.

Festivaletteratura once again drew huge crowds, showing a further increase on last year: 70,000 tickets sold (3,000 more than in 2015,), an estimated 65,000 at the free events (a 7,000 increase on last year), for a total of more than 135,000 people. There was also a surge on the Festival's virtual piazzas: 750,000 interactions on Facebook and more than 400,000 on Twitter.

In the year in which Mantua is Italy's capital of culture, this edition of the Festival focused more than ever on the most significant issues related to culture and current affairs.

The twentieth Festival has set the stage for a new, diverse festival: and from tomorrow, work starts once again on imagining even more new and diverse futures.

Save the date for next year, from 6 to 10 September 2017!