Pistoia has its own unique way of preserving the past: it does not keep it in dusty display cases or on shelves, but allows it to emerge, subtle and luminous, in the folds of contemporary cultural life. It is a city where the silence of the stones dialogues with the voices of writers, and where memory becomes a living, accessible place.
Thus, thanks to the support of the Region of Tuscany, the Province of Pistoia, and the participation of the Municipality, the eighth edition of the Maria Maddalena Morelli Corilla Olimpica – City of Pistoia National Literary Prize takes shape, an event now recognized as one of the most anticipated moments on the Italian poetry scene.
The initiative, promoted by the Associazione Etruria Faber Music, has a dual purpose: on the one hand, it preserves and revives the cultural history of Pistoia, and on the other, it invites the literary community to reconnect with a heritage that belongs to everyone, made up of words, visions, and talent.
A woman against her century: the poetess who became Corilla Olimpica
To understand the profound meaning of the award, we must return to the extraordinary life of the woman who inspired it. Maria Maddalena Morelli, born in Pistoia in 1727, was not just any figure in the cultural landscape of her time. In a century that rarely allowed a female voice in intellectual debate, the young Morelli managed to make a name for herself thanks to her lively intelligence, eloquence, and extraordinary poetic sensibility.
In 1771, she joined the Accademia degli Arcadi—one of the most prestigious literary circles of the time—taking the pseudonym Corilla Olimpica, a name that still carries an aura of mystery and grace today. But her rise had only just begun.
Her fame grew to such an extent that, on August 31, 1778, Pope Pius VI granted her a very rare honor: the coronation as Poetessa Laureata. It was an event that impressed the cultured Europe of the time, because a woman was awarded a title that was almost always reserved for men. Corilla’s laurel wreath, both a physical and poetic symbol, is still preserved today in the evocative Basilica of the Madonna dell’Umiltà, as a spark of the luminous eccentricity of that era.
An award created to bring together the past and the future
The Premio Corilla Olimpica award is inspired by this indomitable and visionary figure. It is not just a poetry competition: it is a meeting place, a listening laboratory, and an invitation to those who write out of inner necessity, for the love of language, or out of a desire to leave a fragment of their own voice.
The main section, dedicated to poetry on any subject, aims to discover the most original voices on the emerging scene—not only for their talent, but for their ability to interpret what is happening in our time with a fresh perspective.
Alongside this, the Special Award recognizes figures who have made a decisive contribution to contemporary literature, building bridges between different generations and sensibilities.
A distinguished jury for an award with a vision for the future
The quality of the 2025 edition is guaranteed by a judging panel composed of scholars, poets, and literary critics of the highest caliber. The panel members are:
Andrea Bassani, poet
Erika Bertelli, Italianist
Francesca Cialdini, historian of the Italian language
Gabriella Grande, poet
Ernesto Marchese, literary critic
Marco Marchi, university professor
Giacomo Trinci, poet and professor
The committee is chaired by Matteo Mazzone, professor and historian of the Italian language, a central figure in the cultural development of the award.
Their work results in a rigorous but sensitive selection, capable of recognizing what lies beneath the surface in the participants’ words: intention, rhythm, vision, authenticity.
The 2025 Special Prize: Milo De Angelis
For the eighth edition, the Special Prize was awarded to Milo De Angelis, one of the most intense, concise, and magnetic poetic voices of our time. His relationship with words is almost physical: a continuous tension between clarity and mystery, between order and vertigo. It is no coincidence that many generations of poets consider him a point of reference.
The ceremony: a return to the essentials
On the afternoon of Saturday, December 13, 2025, at 5:00 p.m., in the Sala Maggiore of the Municipality of Pistoia, one of the most fascinating spaces in the city, where history can still be breathed among the ancient beams and the play of light, De Angelis spoke with Marco Marchi, professor at the University of Florence, in a meeting that was one of the most precious moments of the entire event: not a lecture, but a heartfelt conversation about poetry as a form of resistance, memory, and vision.
The atmosphere was made even more intense by the display of the laurel wreath that belonged to the poet Corilla Olimpica: an object that becomes a symbol, a bridge, a promise. Looking at it closely is like approaching the heartbeat of a distant era, but one that is still surprisingly alive.
An invitation to the city and to readers
The Corilla Olimpica Prize is not reserved for the few. It is an event that belongs to all those who believe in the beauty of words and their ability to illuminate the present. It is a simple but necessary insight: culture is not decoration, but breath.
And Pistoia, with its discreet elegance, its layered history, and its vibrant cultural community, once again offers a place to stop, listen, and let poetry wash over you.
