A literary festival kicks off the 2021 summer season of events in the Castellana Caves (Bari). "Let's Take Back the Bastille – Books and Civil Rights in the Castellana Caves" is the title of the three-day event, symbolically organized to coincide with the anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille, a key event in the French Revolution, which will focus on important current issues. The event will take place over three evenings, from July 12th to 14th at 20:00 PM, in the stunning setting of the Caverna della Fonte.
The first meeting, on Monday, July 12, will focus on the theme "Women and Violated Rights," with the presentation of the book "Le cose giusta" (Rizzoli) by Silvia Ferreri, a writer and RAI journalist. The book, by the Strega Prize finalist, along with her previous work "La madre di Eva," tells the stories of five women who, faced with life's challenges, chose to start over and reclaim their rights.
Mafias, slavery, and trampled dignity are the focus of the presentation on Tuesday, July 13th. The protagonist is Leonardo Palmisano, entrepreneur, writer, and author of several investigative reports, as well as an expert on labor, migration, and organized crime, with "Ascia Nera – La brutale intelligenza della mafia nigeriana" (Fandango Libri), a book that examines the intervention of foreign mafias in the economic fabric of Puglia and Italy.
Finally, on Wednesday, July 14, the focus will be on dictatorships and freedom of expression with Marco Bechis, director and writer. In his book "La solitudine del sovversivo" (Guanda), he discusses his experience as a disappeared man in 1977. A survivor of the Argentine dictatorship, Bechis preserved an impressive amount of data in his notebooks and memories so that he could, one day, obtain justice. Fabio Macaluso, a lawyer specializing in communications and copyright, will be presenting alongside Bechis.
Luigi Taccone, author, television, and theater director, will introduce the writers and their works at all events. All presentations will be preceded by a short tour of the Castellana Caves, including the Caverna della Fonte (meeting at the ticket office at 19:45 PM, departure at 20:00 PM). Reservations are required at the following link: https://bit.ly/riprendiamocilabastiglia.
