Fondazione De Sanctis

Fondazione De Sanctis is an Italian cultural institution based in Rome, founded in 2007 to preserve and promote the legacy of Francesco De Sanctis, the 19th-century writer, literary critic and first Minister of Education of the Kingdom of Italy. The foundation was established by the architect Francesco De Sanctis, a great-grandnephew of the critic, after acquiring a bequest consisting of the personal archive and library of his distinguished ancestor. From its origins the foundation has been responsible for the custody, cataloguing and updating of the library's holdings. The foundation's best-known activity is the Premio De Sanctis, a literary prize established in 2009 and organised annually in collaboration with the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and with the endorsement of the President of the Republic. Originally conceived as a recognition for non-fiction literature, the prize has expanded into other fields including health, economic sciences and human rights. The award ceremony is held in Rome at the state residence of Villa Doria Pamphilj, and past winners include figures such as Massimo Cacciari, Pietro Citati, Carlo Ginzburg, Carlo Cottarelli, Gustavo Zagrebelsky and Liliana Segre. Beyond the prize, the foundation curates a range of activities and projects promoting literature, including book presentations, readings and public lectures. Three recurring annual cultural projects stand out: Positano Racconta, a literature festival held in Positano since 2021; Lezioni di Letteratura, a series of six meetings at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome launched in 2020 in collaboration with Fondazione Musica per Roma; and C'era una volta (Cera1volta), a programme of fairy-tale readings for children hospitalised in Italian paediatric wards, run with AOPI, the Association of Italian Paediatric Hospitals. To mark the bicentenary of Francesco De Sanctis's birth, the foundation organised a series of events across 2017–2019 in institutional venues, under the patronage of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, establishing the "Comitato De Sanctis 200 anni" whose members included Luigi Berlinguer, Gianni Letta, Massimo Cacciari, Claudio Magris, Paolo Mieli and Ignazio Visco. The opening ceremony, titled "De Sanctis e la formazione dell'Europa moderna", was held at the European Parliament in the presence of institutional figures and then-president Antonio Tajani. Since 2019 the foundation has been active in organising further cultural events in the fields of literature and reading promotion. It collaborates with a wide network of Italian writers, intellectuals and cultural figures.

Fondazione De Sanctis was founded in 2007 by the architect Francesco De Sanctis, a great-grandnephew of Francesco De Sanctis, the writer, literary critic and first Minister of Education of the Kingdom of Italy. The foundation was created following the acquisition of a bequest consisting of the personal archive and library of the illustrious ancestor. From its origins, the foundation has been dedicated to the custody, cataloguing and updating of the library's holdings. In 2009 the Premio De Sanctis for non-fiction was established in collaboration with the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities. The first edition took place on 6 October 2009 with the endorsement of the President of the Republic, Giorgio Napolitano. The prize is organised annually with the patronage of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and the endorsement of the President of the Republic, and its award ceremony is held in Rome at the state residence of Villa Doria Pamphilj. It is aimed at authors of Italian and international literature, and past winners include Massimo Cacciari, Giulio Ferroni, Stefano Agosti, Gian Luigi Beccaria, Pietro Citati, Enzo Golino, Silvio Perrella, Carlo Ossola, Ermanno Rea, Giorgio Napolitano, Carlo Cottarelli, Gustavo Zagrebelsky, Carlo Ginzburg and Liliana Segre. To celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of Francesco De Sanctis, the foundation organised a series of events across 2017–2019 in institutional venues, under the patronage of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. For the occasion the "Comitato De Sanctis 200 anni" was established, with members including Luigi Berlinguer, Gianni Letta, Massimo Cacciari, Giorgio Ficara, Claudio Magris, Giacomo Marramao, Paolo Mieli and Ignazio Visco. The opening ceremony, titled "De Sanctis e la formazione dell'Europa moderna", was held at the seat of the European Parliament in the presence of several institutional figures and then-president Antonio Tajani. Since 2019 the foundation, in addition to the Premio De Sanctis, has been active in organising other cultural events in the field of literature and reading promotion. In 2020 it launched Lezioni di Letteratura, a project consisting of six meetings at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, organised annually together with Fondazione Musica per Roma, in which writers and intellectuals speak to the public about art and literature. In 2021 it launched Positano Racconta, an annual literature festival held in Positano featuring meetings with national and international writers. Also in 2021, to mark the tenth anniversary of the Premio De Sanctis across 2021–2022, the foundation chose to broaden the prize's activity into other categories: social health, economic sciences, Europe and human rights. In 2021 the foundation established the Premio De Sanctis Europa in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The first edition was held in Rome on 8 June 2021 at the Palazzo della Farnesina, and the award was given to conductor Riccardo Muti and scientist Fabiola Gianotti. In the same year the Premio De Sanctis for social health was established in collaboration with the Council of State; its first edition took place on 27 September 2021 at Palazzo Spada, with awards given to Francesco Rocca representing the Italian Red Cross and Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia representing the Community of Sant'Egidio. The second edition was held on 4 October 2022 in Rome at the seat of the Council of State, with awards going, among others, to Claudio Gubitosi, director of the Giffoni Film Festival. From 2022 the foundation established the Premio De Sanctis for economic sciences in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The first edition took place on 6 September 2022 at the Ministry's seat, with awards given to economists Guido Tabellini and Raffaella Sadun. On 25 October 2022 the first edition of the Premio De Sanctis for human rights was held, established in collaboration with the Supreme Court of Cassation; the ceremony took place at the Palazzo di Giustizia and awards were given to missionary Sister Elvira Tutolo and the President of the European Court of Human Rights, Róbert Ragnar Spanó. The foundation also runs C'era una volta (Cera1volta), a project in collaboration with AOPI (Association of Italian Paediatric Hospitals) that organises a cycle of readings of fairy tales and fables for children hospitalised in paediatric wards. Across its activities the foundation has collaborated with a broad network of Italian cultural figures, including Eraldo Affinati, Edoardo Albinati, Corrado Augias, Silvia Avallone, Marco Bellocchio, Daria Bignardi, Claudio Bisio, Massimo Cacciari, Sergio Castellitto, Aldo Cazzullo, Javier Cercas, Cristina Comencini, Paola Cortellesi, Giancarlo De Cataldo, Maurizio De Giovanni, Concita De Gregorio and many others.

• 2022

  Premio De Sanctis for economic sciences and Premio De Sanctis for human rights established.

• 2021

  Positano Racconta literature festival launched; Premio De Sanctis Europa and Premio De Sanctis for social health established.

• 2020

  Lezioni di Letteratura launched, with six meetings at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome.

• 2019

  Foundation expands into organising further cultural events in literature and reading promotion.

• 2017

  Start of bicentenary events for Francesco De Sanctis's birth, running through 2019, with the "Comitato De Sanctis 200 anni".

• 2009

  Premio De Sanctis for non-fiction established; first edition held on 6 October 2009 with the endorsement of President Giorgio Napolitano.

• 2007

  Fondazione De Sanctis founded in Rome by architect Francesco De Sanctis after acquiring the archive and library of his ancestor.

A non-profit cultural foundation promoting Italian and international literature through prizes, festivals, lectures and reading initiatives.

• Premio De Sanctis

  Annual literary prize for non-fiction, established 2009, organised with the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.

• Premio De Sanctis Europa

  Prize established in 2021 with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

• Premio De Sanctis per la salute sociale

  Prize established in 2021 with the Council of State.

• Premio De Sanctis per le scienze economiche

  Prize established in 2022 with the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

• Premio De Sanctis per i diritti umani

  Prize established in 2022 with the Supreme Court of Cassation.

• Positano Racconta

  Annual literature festival in Positano, active since 2021.

• Lezioni di Letteratura

  Annual series of six lectures at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, launched 2020.

• C'era una volta (Cera1volta)

  Reading programme for hospitalised children, in collaboration with AOPI.

1. 1Fondazione De Sanctis – official websitefondazionedesanctis.it
2. 2Fondazione De Sanctis – Wikipedia (Italian)it.wikipedia.org
3. 3Fondazione De Sanctis – Wikidatawikidata.org