25 Municipalities Apply to Become Capital of Culture 2028

From Anagni to Vieste, passing through the others, from Ancona, Benevento or Catania: there are 25 Italian municipalities who have officially expressed their interest in apply for the title of Italian Capital of Culture for the year 2028 responding to the notice published by the Ministry of Culture. "A first step that confirms the vitality of the territories and the widespread desire to invest in culture as engine of development, social cohesion and urban regeneration" comments the Mic. The applications come from all over the country and represent a broad spectrum of urban, historical and cultural: from cities of art to inland areas, from villages to aggregations of municipalities. With this first phase the path towards the designation of the Italian Capital of Culture 2028. I Municipalities that have submitted an expression of interest will be now called to formalize their candidacy by preparing, by 25 September 2025, an application dossier containing the cultural project, the territorial development strategies, the subjects involved, the economic sustainability plan and the expected goals. The title of "Italian Capital of Culture" has the aim of enhance the cultural and creative heritage of cities Italian and to promote innovative public policies based on culture as a lever for growth, inclusion and attractiveness. Over the years, many cities have benefited from this opportunities, initiating transformation and development processes. After the experiences of Matera (2019 as European Capital), Parma (2020-21), Procida (2022), Bergamo and Brescia (2023), Pesaro (2024) and Agrigento (2025), the title for 2026 was assigned to L'Aquila and for 2027 to Pordenone. Subsequently, a Jury of experts appointed by decree ministerial, will select the winning city which will be proclaimed by March 2026. Here, in detail, is the list of candidate municipalities: Anagni (Frosinone) - Lazio; Ancona - Marche; Bacoli (Naples) - Campania; Benevento - Campania; Catania - Sicily; Colle di Val d'Elsa (Siena) - Tuscany ; Fiesole (Florence) - Tuscany; Forlì - Emilia-Romagna ; Galatina (Lecce) - Apulia; Gioia Tauro (Reggio Calabria) - Calabria; Gravina in Puglia (Bari) - Puglia ; Massa - Tuscany; Melfi (Potenza) - Basilicata; Mirabella Eclano (Avellino) - Campania; Moncalieri (Turin) - Piedmont; Pieve di Soligo (Treviso) - Veneto; Pomezia (Rome) - Lazio; Rozzano (Milan) - Lombardy; Sala Consilina (Salerno) - Campania; Sarzana (La Spezia) - Liguria; Sessa Aurunca (Caserta) - Campania; Tarquinia (Viterbo) - Lazio; Union of municipalities "Caudine City" - Campania; Valeggio sul Mincio (Verona) - Veneto.